Final Fantasy XIII 1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Author's Note:

Hello! Apologies in advanced for this super long author's note. The other ones will be so much shorter than this.

Here is my newest story. It's part of the FFXIII series. There are several stories in this series now, and I recommend you read them in order so check out my profile for the reading order. As always, these stories follow some basic rules:

1. There are no sequels to FFXIII. I try to keep things semi-canon (or at least plausible), but these stories are still quite AU.

2. Once the main characters are no longer l'Cie, they are completely human.

3. NORA is now an organization of law enforcers.

4. Everyone in Troth, a small town near the capital of New Cocoon, a settlement on Pulse.

5. A PMC is essentially a smart phone.

I wrote this story in an attempt to return to the light nature of some of the previous stories, so the ending of Crimes of Passion will be resolved in a future story. I expect to try to update this story every 1-2 weeks, but I'm working full time now and extremely busy so I apologize for any delays and will try to keep you posted if there's going to be a long break. I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: If I owned this franchise, Lightning Returns would've been called _Fanille Returns_, and the plot would have included a significant amount of lesbian love. OCs and plot are mine. Everything else belongs to Square Enix.

**Warnings**: You know the drill—adult situations, drama, and lesbians. You've been warned.

* * *

Snow glanced nervously over his shoulder before walking halfway down the basement stairs. "Hope, are you down here?"

"I'm here," Hope replied, slamming his laptop shut as Snow came around the corner. Uncomfortably, he asked, "Do you need something?"

"Serah called an emergency meeting in the kitchen." Snow raised his brow. "What are you doing down here by yourself?"

"I was just online," Hope replied hastily.

"Were you talking to the girl again?" Snow teased with a wide grin.

Hope's cheeks darkened, but he shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal."

"Well, I'm happy for you, buddy," Snow exclaimed enthusiastically. "Anyway, Serah wants us all upstairs."

With a groan, Hope whined, "Do I have to? I'm in the middle of a conversation."

"Well, Serah seemed kind of upset..." Snow shifted on his heels.

"But I'm barely in the wedding," Hope protested. "All I have to do is stand there with you."

"Trust me, you should come upstairs," Snow insisted, smiling weakly.

"Okay, fine." Hope opened his laptop to say goodbye to his friend before standing up.

"Wow, you really grew!" Snow pointed out, grinning as he surveyed the slightly taller fifteen-year-old. "I didn't notice when you first came in."

"That's because I was carrying so much stuff," Hope joked. "So, what's the emergency now?"

Snow shrugged, replying with an awkward smile, "I really didn't want to ask. She's been kind of scary lately."

Hope nodded fervently. "Yeah, I know."

With another weak smile, Snow led Hope up the stairs into the kitchen, where the rest of the members of the household were hastily sitting down at the table. The only two who were not present were Fang and Vanille, but everyone else, including Sazh and Dajh, were crowding into the room.

"Serah, I don't have time for this," Lightning protested as she slumped into one of the chairs, gripping Ripper by the collar as he nudged his nose into her leg. She petted the top of his head as she added, "I was going to take the dogs for a walk before work."

"Claire, this is important," Serah replied sharply. "The wedding is only a week from Saturday. We barely have any time left to make sure we get everything right."

Lightning pursed her lips. "Nothing is going to go wrong."

"You're right, because we're going to go over everything _very_ carefully," Serah replied firmly. She turned to Hope with a sweet smile. "Hope, will you go get Fang and Vanille? Then everyone will be here."

Hope nodded. "Where are they?"

"I think they're upstairs," Serah replied as she ushered Dajh into one of the seats at the table.

"In their bedroom?" Hope asked with a frown, his ears turning red.

"I think so. Why?" Serah raised her brows. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's just..." Hope shifted uncomfortably. "What if they're...?"

Serah placed her hands on her hips, asking impatiently, "What?"

"_You know_," Hope crossed his arms, glancing at Snow for help. "What if they're _busy_?"

Serah flushed faintly. "Hope, we have to do this right now while everyone is home. I'm sure it'll be fine. Please just go get them."

"But—"

"Hope, please!" Serah snapped.

Snow squeezed Hope's shoulder and whispered, "Just take one for the team, buddy."

Shoulders falling, Hope grumbled, "If they're doing it, I'm _not_ going in there."

"Walk up really loudly," Lightning suggested.

"Like they'll stop just 'cause they hear someone," Hope grumbled.

Everyone seemed to consider that before nodding their heads wryly.

"It's the middle of the day and we're all home," Serah protested with a frown. "I'm sure they're not doing anything like that."

Sazh, who was covering Dajh's ears, requested, "Let's not talk about this in front of the little man, please."

"Sorry." Hope turned toward the stairs. "Okay, I'm going up."

"Good luck," Snow mumbled with a sigh.

* * *

Hope walked quickly to the second floor. He stopped in front of the attic stairs and frowned, feeling completely uncomfortable. Though he was mostly over his feelings for Vanille and did have a new crush, sometimes it was still hard for him to see Fang and Vanille together. They had gone through so much that he felt like no other girl would ever know him the same way that Vanille did. No one would ever have so much in common. It was hard to forget that they had not made the connection that Hope had thought.

With another sigh, Hope forced himself to walk up the stairs. He tried to make as much noise as possible. A part of him hoped that Fang and Vanille would open the door to see what was going on, but when he reached the top the door was still closed.

Unable to hear any sound from within, Hope pushed forwards to knock, but he paused when he heard something.

Fang grumbled humorously, "Vanille, why do you keep making that face? Are you in some kind of hurry here?"

"You can go faster, Fang," Vanille insisted, sounding annoyed. "You don't have to be so gentle."

"Well, I don't wanna hurt you," Fang protested playfully.

"You're not gonna hurt me," Vanille replied firmly. "I can take it. Go faster. It'll help."

Hope gulped, trying to figure out what was going on.

"So, you're saying you want me to do it fast?" Fang asked, chuckling.

"Yes, faster is definitely better," Vanille replied with a giggle. "Can you do it?"

"I can go as fast as you want, but don't say I didn't warn you." Teasingly, Fang added, "I don't think you'll like it rough."

"Fang, come on," Vanille grumbled impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"Whatever you say."

There was a loud shuffling and then Vanille whimpered loudly, causing Hope's face to turn red.

"What was that?" Fang asked, her smirk clear in her voice.

"N-Nothing," Vanille replied hastily. "I'm fine."

Fang laughed. "That hurt, didn't it?"

"A little," Vanille admitted.

"I can handle it, she says. Go faster, she says," Fang grumbled. "That's what happens when you rush me. Now, how's about we do it my way? I'm the expert here."

"Are you saying you're better than me?" Vanille giggled.

"I'm not saying anything. I like to let the evidence speak for itself."

Hope still was not positive what was going on, but he wished more than anything that he could just race down the stairs. Unfortunately, Serah had become somewhat of a frightening bride during the last few weeks. When he thought about having to face her anger, he decided it was better to just interrupt what ever the Gran Pulsians were doing. With a gulp, he stepped forwards and knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Fang called through the door. "It's unlocked."

Hope furrowed his brows. "A-Are you sure? You sound, um, like you're in the middle of something."

"It's okay, Hope. You can come in," Vanille replied gently.

Hope pushed the door open and his eyes widened with surprise. The two women were standing to one side of the room, both completely dressed. When he realized they were wearing workout clothes and facing each other, he asked, "What are you doing? I heard noises, but I thought—er, what is this?"

"We're practicing," Vanille replied with a warm smile. "We both started taking martial arts classes, remember? Wanna see what we learned last night?"

At the same time, Fang asked with a grin, "What did you _think_ we were doing, kiddo?"

Hope ignored Fang. "Maybe later, but right now you have to come downstairs. Serah called some kind of meeting in the kitchen. Everyone else is there."

Vanille glanced at the clock with wide eyes. "Oh, no! I completely forgot."

Fang shrugged, patting Vanille's shoulder. "She'll forgive you. You've done a lot helping her plan the wedding so far."

"I know, but she's really stressed," Vanille replied with a pout, lowering her voice.

"You don't have to whisper like it's some kind of secret," Fang assured her. "Everyone in the house noticed the way Serah's been acting."

Vanille nodded in agreement, and as the two of them followed Hope down the stairs, the younger Gran Pulsian rubbed her forearm and winced.

"I really hurt you, huh?" Fang asked apologetically, wrapping one arm around Vanille's shoulder.

"I'll be okay," Vanille assured her. "I'm the one who asked you not to be gentle."

"That's true." Fang nodded playfully, dropping her arm around her waist and squeezing gently as she whispered, "I'll still make it up to you later though."

"What're you gonna do?" Vanille giggled.

"I'm open to requests," Fang replied with a wink.

Hope unintentionally quickened his pace. "I'll meet you guys in the kitchen!"

"What's the hurry" Fang asked in amusement.

Hope ignored her, skipping two steps at a time and disappearing around the corner.

* * *

A few moments later, Fang and Vanille walked into the kitchen to find Serah pacing while everyone else stared at her. Everyone was seated at the kitchen table, and all but Lightning looked worried. Rather, the elder Farron sister looked annoyed. There was only one chair left at the table, but Serah did not seem to want it as she continued to move around in a small circle.

Serah suddenly looked up and smiled with relief. "There you are!"

"This is some party," Fang commented as she fell into the remaining chair and pulled Vanille onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist. "So, what'd we miss?"

"I wouldn't start without you!" Serah gasped before leaning back against the counter. She smiled cheerfully. "Now that everyone's here, I just want to go over your roles in the wedding again."

Vanille nodded attentively, leaning back against Fang.

"Claire, your role is the most important," Serah explained, tapping her finger against the counter. "As the first maid of honor, you have to give a speech at the wedding. Do you have it written yet? I want to read it."

"Why?" Lightning pursed her lips. "You don't trust me?"

Serah offered a reassuring smile. "I trust you. I just really need to know everything that's going to happen. I read Sazh's speech too."

Sazh raised his brows. "You did? How?"

"Oh, I found it on the dresser when I was cleaning in the basement," Serah replied with a warm look. "It was really beautiful, Sazh. Thanks for writing something so nice."

"It was _in_ the dresser _under_ my clothes," Sazh mumbled exasperatedly.

"That's what I said." Serah murmured dismissively before turning back to Lightning. "There are some other things you have to do during the wedding."

"Like what?" Lightning asked distractedly as she scratched behind Ripper's ears.

"Claire, we already talked about this," Serah gasped. "You have to make sure my train and veil are arranged during the ceremony and hold the flowers while we're exchanging. You also have to keep track of all the gifts and cards we receive at the reception."

Lightning furrowed her brows. "You mean I have to make a list?"

"Yes." Serah smiled faintly. "You can't forget or we might not know who gave us what. Then we won't be able to send thank you cards."

"Fine." Lightning pursed her lips. "Can I go now?"

Serah frowned, "Well..."

"You should stay for the whole meeting," Vanille interrupted, glaring at Lightning. "You're the maid of honor."

Lightning narrowed her eyes but remained silent.

"Vanille, you're the second maid of honor," Serah exclaimed as she turned to face her with a grateful smile. "You've really done way more than you had to. I know I say 'first' and 'second' like it matters, but you've really been the best co-maid of honor anyone could have asked for."

Vanille beamed. "I'm glad to help, Serah."

"Vanille's done basically everything Light was supposed to," Fang commented, grinning teasingly at the older Farron sister. However, beneath her amused demeanor, there was truth to her words. "When are you gonna start pitching in, Light?"

Lightning gritted her teeth. "I'm really busy."

"_Anyway_," Serah interrupted firmly. "I just wanted to recognize how much Vanille has really helped me through all this. She even delivered the invitations for the rehearsal dinner by hand."

"I'm just really happy to do anything to help," Vanille replied with a warm smile, though in truth she had delivered the invitations by hand because by the time she remembered it was too late to put them in the mail.

Serah nodded gratefully before turning back to her sister. "Since you're both maids of honor, you two will have to keep track of the other bridesmaids' duties during the ceremony. We can figure out where people should stand at the rehearsal, but during the reception you have to make sure that you're keeping track of guests—you know, directing them to bathrooms, telling them where to leave gifts—and making sure things go as smoothly as possible with the staff. If anyone does anything they're not supposed to, I want to know about it. Snow and I are paying a _lot_ of money for this."

Lightning nodded, but she was still distracted by Ripper.

"Claire, are you listening?" Serah demanded, crossing her arms.

"I'll keep track of everything at the wedding," Lightning told her firmly, glancing at the clock, "But I really have to go."

Serah sighed. "If you understand your duties, you can go."

"What?" Vanille pouted at Serah. "But she has to know everyone else's duties too."

"Some of us have work," Lightning grumbled as she stood. "Fang, I don't have time to take the dogs out anymore."

"I'll take them." Fang nodded, frowning. She could feel the tension in her partner.

Lightning gave another nod before standing and walking toward the front door.

Vanille watched her go, narrowing her eyes, before she suddenly pulled away from Fang.

"Vanille, where are you—?"

"I'll be right back," Vanille huffed as she stomped out of the room, following Lightning outside onto the porch. "Lightning, stop!"

Lightning paused and turned to face Vanille, her eyes darkened. "I have to go."

"Why can't you take time off from work?" Vanille demanded angrily. "I've been doing _everything_ for this wedding. You haven't done a single thing."

"I've been busy," Lightning repeated with a frown. "We're understaffed. They need me 24/7."

"What about when your sister needs you?" Vanille huffed. "I haven't had time to do anything for the last month because I've been working so hard."

"You didn't have to help so much," Lightning grumbled.

"Yes, I did! There was so much to do that Serah's head was gonna explode," Vanille protested, crossing her arms and pouting. "I need help now. There's not that much left to do, but Serah can't deal with it. She has other things she needs to take care of. When are you getting home from work tonight?"

"I don't know yet," Lightning replied stiffly.

"Lightning!" Vanille protested. "I _need_ help."

"So, get Fang to help you," Lightning snapped, turning around swiftly. "I'm going to be late."

Vanille ran around her, blocking her path and pleading, "Please come home early to help. Fang is busy too."

"I can't." Lightning narrowed her eyes. "I said I'm going to be late. Get out of the way."

"You're gonna have to make me!" Vanille huffed, standing her ground.

Lightning merely stared at her, her look more cold than angry. "Vanille, move."

Vanille met her gaze with a look of challenge, but after a few moments her resolve began to break. Eventually, she could not take it any longer and had to move out of the way. As Lightning slid past her, Vanille lowered her eyes. She almost wanted to cry, because she was very tired and on top of all her duties she was the one who had to deal with all of Serah's stress. However, she had vowed not to be a crybaby anymore.

* * *

After the air car pulled out of the driveway, Vanille stomped back into the kitchen and sat down in the chair Lightning had vacated. Serah was still talking, but Vanille was barely listening to her.

"Don't worry, Serah, this isn't my first time being a best man," Sazh was telling her with a warm smile. "I got it all covered."

"Thanks, Sazh," Serah replied.

While the others were still talking, Fang slid her chair closer to Vanille's, placing her hand on her thigh. "Everything all right?"

Vanille nodded, whispering, "I just wish she would help. Why is she so busy?"

"I dunno, but don't you worry," Fang replied gently, running her fingers through her hair. "I'll get her to help. She and I are gonna have a nice long talk."

Offering a weak smile, Vanille replied, "I don't think that'll help."

"We'll see about that," Fang replied with a gleam in her eye.

"Snow, you know everything you have to do, right?" Serah asked quietly.

Snow nodded. "I read your checklist really carefully, Serah. I'll make sure everything gets done. All the groomsmen know what to do for the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony."

"Good." Serah giggled happily. "This is going to be the best day of our lives."

"It will," Snow agreed lovingly.

"Now, Fang, I know you're not technically _in_ the wedding, but did Vanille talk to you about your really important duty?" Serah asked, noticing that the two of them were hardly paying attention.

Fang looked up with a faint smirk. "Well, I remember her _trying _to tell me something last night, but it was late and, well, she was a little distracted. She never really got to the point."

Vanille's cheeks turned red. "Fang, I told you! She understands completely, Serah."

Serah sighed with relief. "Good. I really don't want any pranks at this wedding, Fang. I know you like to have fun, but this is the most important day of my life."

"I haven't played a single prank since Christmas," Fang assured her, feigning innocence. "You're wedding's perfectly safe."

"Fang." Vanille gave her a sharp look.

"All right, I played one or two tiny pranks, but I swear I won't do anything at the wedding." Fang laughed at their skeptical looks. "After Vanille's been stressing so much about this, I wouldn't do anything to mess it up."

"Good." Serah clapped her hands together happily. "Okay, meeting adjourned. Vanille and Sazh, please make sure the other bridesmaids and groomsmen don't forget what to do. If anyone has any questions, please ask Vanille or Sazh, since I have a lot to do. You could ask Claire too, but..."

"Ask me," Vanille interrupted with a bright smile. "I'm the one who knows more."

"That's probably true." Serah pouted, looking sad.

"I've got a question," Fang told Vanille suddenly, grinning as she wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "How come I don't get to be a bridesmaid anyway?"

Vanille smiled apologetically. "Snow couldn't find another groomsmen. We would've had more bridesmaids than groomsmen if we included you. I'm really sorry, Fang."

"Everyone else is involved. I'm kind of jealous," Fang persisted, squeezing her gently.

Vanille giggled, wrapping her arms around Fang's neck. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with it since it's all so stressful."

Fang laughed, leaning forwards to kiss her cheek. "You're right. I'm glad I don't have to stand up there, especially in those dresses you've gotta wear."

Both Snow and Vanille developed looks of horror, but it was too late.

"You don't like the bridesmaids' dresses?!" Serah gasped, slapping her palms on the table and staring at Fang. "What's wrong with them? Are they ugly? Are they too short? Should I have picked something strapless?"

Fang's eyes widened with surprise. "It's nothing like that. I just don't like the color."

"Fang, no!" Vanille hissed.

"What's wrong with the color?" Serah demanded miserably. "Is it too bright? I _knew _they didn't look good. Vanille, you said they would look pretty because you and Lightning have pink hair, but I knew I shouldn't pick them. How could I let this happen? My wedding is ruined..."

"Fang!" Vanille elbowed her hard as Serah continued muttering to herself. "Fix this!"

"On _me_," Fang clarified, clearing her throat when Serah looked at her. "I don't really like that color on _me_. I'm tanner than Vanille and the others. That's all."

"Oh..." Serah relaxed slightly. "Oh, that's a relief."

Snow swooped out of his chair and hugged Serah tightly around the waist. "The bridesmaids' dresses are really beautiful, Serah."

"Okay." Serah smiled faintly. "It would've been really hard to find new ones before next week."

Vanille sighed and leaned back in her chair. "That was close."

Fang nodded, hugging Vanille and pressing her lips close to her ear. "We should go back upstairs. It's already getting stressful down here. We could watch that new movie I bought. I've been waiting so we can watch it together."

"That sounds really fun," Vanille replied happily, standing and taking her hands to tug her out of the chair. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to spend much time together lately."

"It's okay." Fang brushed her hair out of her face. "I just don't like seeing you so stressed."

"Let's spend the whole afternoon together," Vanille suggested excitedly. "We'll watch the movie, and then we can have a picnic outside."

Fang laughed, pulling the shorter woman into her arms. "We don't have food for a picnic."

"We'll make something," Vanille insisted with a grin. "We can make sandwiches and lemonade and I think there's some fudge in the fridge that we could take as dessert. Then after our picnic we can explore the forest. There's a really pretty lake not far from here. I bet we can hike there and make it back in time for dinner."

"You've got this all planned out," Fang teased, kissing the top of her head. "Been thinking about it for a while?"

Vanille nodded, burying her face in her shoulder. "I've just been too busy to actually go."

"I think it sounds fun," Fang replied. "Let's forget about the movie and just go exploring like when we were younger."

Vanille's eyes lit up and she nodded. "I'll look in the fridge for some food. You can get a blanket and some water."

"Vanille, are you going somewhere?" Serah asked suddenly, developing a slight pout. "I was hoping you could help me a little. I was going to ask Claire, but she went to work..."

Vanille's shoulders fell. "Well, Fang and I were gonna go somewhere..."

"Oh..." Serah bit her lip, hugging herself. "It wouldn't take that long, but I guess I can do it myself. It's just that I have to confirm with the caterer and make sure everything is all set with the cake, and Claire still hasn't had her final dress fitting, but I can't make her go and I'm completely overwhelmed..."

Vanille lowered her eyes. "Well..."

"It's okay, Vanille," Fang interrupted gently. "You help Serah for now and we'll go a little later. I'll get all the food ready. Then we can have a late lunch."

Vanille smiled, leaning up to kiss Fang's cheek. "Thanks, Fang. I don't think this'll take long."

"If it does, I'm gonna kidnap you, so you better hurry," Fang replied firmly, leaning down to kiss her lips. As she pulled back, she murmured, "See you later."

Vanille nodded gratefully before turning to Serah. "So, what d'you need?"

"I made another checklist," Serah replied guiltily. "I know I promised I'd stop, but I swear this is the last one."

"Only if you swear," Vanille told her firmly before taking her arm and tugging her toward the table. "Let's sit so I can read it."

Serah sat and sighed happily. "Thanks for all your help, Vanile. It really means a lot to me."

"You don't have to thank me," Vanille assured her. "I'm excited about the wedding too!"

* * *

A few hours later, Fang and Vanille met in the kitchen. As they walked out the back door together, Vanille carried a large blanket and Fang had a small backpack slung over her shoulder and her staff in her hand.

"You ready?" Fang asked with a grin.

"Yep!" Vanille nodded excitedly and did not waste a moment grabbing Fang's hand and tugging her through the backyard.

Fang chuckled. "What's the hurry? Don't you want me to put that blanket in the pack?"

"We've gotta get out of here before Serah finds something else for me to do," Vanille replied urgently, giggling as she hugged Fang's arm. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

With a warm smile, Fang told her, "As soon as this wedding's over, you're all mine. Maybe we'll go on a trip together."

"Really?" Vanille grinned excitedly. "Where?"

"I dunno yet." Fang breathed in the warm summer air as they walked through the backyard toward the gate in the fence. "It's nice out today, not too hot."

Vanille nodded in agreement as she slipped through the gate. "How come we're not bringing the dogs?"

"Dajh and Hope took them for a walk," Fang explained, chuckling. "Between all of us, those dogs are getting more exercise than I do, and my job is basically to walk around the border of town over and over all day."

Fang paused once they were safely outside the gate and took the picnic blanket, stuffing it inside the pack and careful not to squish any of the food.

"Fang, you do more than just walk around," Vanille giggled, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the trees. "Is the forest dangerous this close to town?"

Fang shook her head. "You'll wanna look out when we get out a ways, but it's no more dangerous than when we were in Oerba. It might be more dangerous for you, since you've gotten really used to our new life."

Vanille stuck out her tongue. "I still remember how to stay safe in the forest."

"Really?" Fang raised her brows skeptically and wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her close. "You didn't even bring your binding rod. How're you gonna protect yourself?"

"I don't need to," Vanille replied with a giggle. "I've got you."

Fang laughed, tightening her arm around the shorter woman as the two of them took a familiar path through the trees.

The forest was absolutely breathtaking. Birds sang in the bright blue sky above, forest critters skittered along the dark forest floor, and the canopy of leaves overhead provided enough shade to protect them from the heat of the sun at its peak height. A light breeze moved through the trees, tussling their hair and bringing with it a feeling of tranquility.

"So, where're we gonna eat?" Vanille asked cheerfully.

"There's a clearing not far from here," Fang explained. "See those notches on the trees? We've been marking the area so people can find their way. The woods aren't that thick out here, but most people aren't used to any kind of outdoor travel."

Vanille suddenly gasped in delight and pulled away from Fang, shouting excitedly, "Look!"

Fang merely laughed and picked up her pace to follow her toward a gorgeous field of flowers.

"Fang, look at these!" Vanille giggled happily as she knelt beside the flowers.

"What about them?" Fang asked teasingly. "They look like all the other flowers."

"They do not!" Vanille insisted, plucking one of the flowers by the stem and holding it up to Fang. "See? It's purple, but the petals have white and blue stripes on the inside. Isn't that pretty?"

"It's gorgeous," Fang agreed. "Do you wanna have the picnic here?"

Vanille shook her head, tucking the flower behind her ear and grabbing Fang's hand. "Let's keep going. I wanna see the clearing you were talking about and after we have to hike to the lake. I wanna swim."

"All right. Let's keep going."

* * *

A while later, the two women reached a small, peaceful clearing and set up their picnic. They ate quickly together, cherishing the first time in a few very stressful weeks that they could just enjoy each other's company.

After they were finished eating, Fang tucked the leftovers and the trash into the pack that she had brought before pushing it aside and lying back against the blanket. With her hands behind her head, she looked up at the clouds drifting lazily overhead. Vanille joined her, curling up at her side and resting her head against her shoulders, which prompted the taller woman to wrap one arm around her shoulders and hold her close.

"It's really nice here," Vanille murmured happily, nuzzling against Fang.

Fang nodded in agreement, smiling. "Lying here looking at the clouds, it's like we're back home."

Vanille hugged Fang around the waist. "We _are_ home."

"Don't you miss Oerba sometimes?" Fang asked with a small smile. "Remember all the fun we used to have? We never worried about anything."

"I worried about you all the time," Vanille argued, poking her in the stomach. "You were always gone."

"It wasn't _always_." Fang pouted, brushing her hair from her face.

"I miss Oerba, but I like it here too." Vanille leaned into Fang, pressing against her chest. "As long as we're together, I'm happy anywhere."

Fang smiled and threaded her fingers through Vanille's soft curls. "I like that we're finally safe here. There's no more war, no more fighting... We can finally live a peaceful life."

"Except for what happened in February," Vanille murmured uncomfortably.

"Let's not talk about that." Fang kissed Vanille's forehead. "That's over and you're finally not having nightmares."

Vanille nodded in agreement, closing her eyes. "Are we really going on a trip once the wedding's over?"

"Do you want to?" Fang asked, looking pleased.

"It sounds fun," Vanille replied excitedly, sitting up. "Let's go camping. We can go as long as we like."

"What about your jewelry stand? You never got to set it up," Fang pointed out as she sat up.

"I can do it when we get back. We won't be gone forever." Vanille grinned as she leaned forwards to play with Fang's hair. "I bet it'll be fun to just spend some time together. We've been living with everyone else for so long now."

"Well, if you wanna be alone with me, all you've gotta to do is say so," Fang replied teasingly as she grabbed Vanille by the shoulders and pulled her down onto the blanket.

Vanille squeaked in surprise as Fang rolled partially on top of her, hovering close with that loving smile on her face that still gave Vanille butterflies after all the years they had been together.

Fang pecked her lips and grinned. "I think a trip's a good idea. Maybe when we get back, we can even think about getting our own place."

With a warm smile, Vanille wrapped her arm around Fang's neck and tugged her into another kiss, their lips meshing together gently.

Fang pulled back and ran her fingers down the side of Vanille's face. "I like this picnic already."

"You didn't like it before?" Vanille asked with a pout.

"Sure I did," Fang teased, leaning down to capture her lips again. "But I like it more now."

Vanille giggled into another kiss, hugging Fang against her.

The two women remained close for a long time, lips brushing together slowly. Though their hands strayed occasionally, they simply enjoyed cuddling together as they basked in the warm sunlight and shared sweet, lingering kisses.

When they eventually pulled apart, Vanille grinned and tugged the flower out of her own hair, tucking it behind Fang's ear and pulling back to admire her.

"Is this a present?" Fang asked teasingly.

Vanille nodded, giggling. "Fang, it looks really pretty on you."

"Well, you know, I've been searching for the perfect flower to wear in my hair for a while now," Fang joked, laughing as she sat up and tugged Vanille into her arms. She kissed her cheek, lips lingering close to her ear. "D'you still wanna hike to the lake? We better leave now if we wanna be back before dinner."

"You're right." Vanile stood and smoothed down her skirt. "Serah said she was making something special to thank all of us for being so patient during the wedding planning so we can't miss dinner."

"Maybe it's a tonic to make us all feel less anxious that if something goes wrong Serah will kill everyone," Fang joked.

Vanille laughed lightly and they both began to clean up the picnic area.

* * *

"Fang, this place is _so_ beautiful!" Vanille gasped happily as she raced into the flowery fields surrounding the lake, whose crystal clear water shimmered in the sunlight. The tall rock formations jutting out of the water created sections in the lake, which cordoned off the area like a beach. With an excited grin, Vanille ran to the edge of the water and crouched down to dip her fingers in. "It's really cold."

Fang perched beside Vanille, sticking her own fingers in the water. "You're right, but I bet we'd get used to it pretty quickly. D'you still wanna swim?"

Vanille glanced around to make sure it was a secluded area before affirming with a grin, "Definitely! We haven't swam together in a really long time."

"I can't remember the last time," Fang pointed out as she began to strip out of her sari. "We should've gone earlier in the summer."

"Serah invited me to swim with her once and brought me to this pool in the city, but it was indoors and the water smelled really weird," Vanille explained as she shimmied out of her skirt. "It tasted weird too. I didn't wanna get in."

"What kind of water was it?" Fang asked curiously.

"I dunno. Serah said there was a chemical to make it clean, but I prefer real water," Vanille explained with a giggle as she pulled off her shirt. "Should we swim in our underwear?"

"Do what you want. I'm not walking back in wet underwear," Fang replied with a teasing grin.

"Fang, what if someone catches us?" Vanille asked in amusement.

"Either they'll be embarrassed or try to join us." Fang shrugged, chuckling. "No sense worrying about it 'til it happens."

Vanille laughed lightly and began to unhook her bra. "Last one in the water makes breakfast tomorrow."

"You're on!" Fang exclaimed, kicking off her underwear. "I can undress faster than you."

"I had a head start!" Vanille slipped out of the last of her clothes and immediately waded into he freezing water. She shivered as she moved deeper into the lake, knowing that she would warm up more quickly if she was fully submerged.

"If you cheated, I don't think I lost," Fang replied as she followed her into the water and swam toward her.

"This is so much fun!" Vanille chirped happily, dunking her head under water and emerging with soaked hair. As she was treading water, she turned to Fang. "D'you think there're any finish down there? You could catch something for breakfast tomorrow."

Fang wrinkled her nose. "Well, there is one thing I could catch."

"With your bare hands?" Vanille glanced at the shore to make sure Fang did not have her spear.

"That's the best way to catch this particular species," Fang replied as she peeked into the water. "This is gonna be easy. She doesn't suspect a thing."

Vanille swam closer to Fang and peered into the water, turning her back as she searched. "Fang, I don't see any fish. All I see is rocks at the bottom."

"Well, she's there, but I never said she was a fish," Fang teased as she threw her arms around Vanille's waist from behind and tugged the smaller woman against her.

Vanille gasped in surprise and grinned over her shoulder, pressing back against Fang's warm, slippery body. "Oh, you meant me."

"Sure did." Fang tightened her hold around her waist, kissing her shoulder as her fingers slid across her abdomen. "Now you're all mine."

"You can't eat me for breakfast, Fang," Vanille giggled, wriggling in her grasp.

"Sure, I can." Fang grazed her lips up her neck. "And who says I'm gonna wait 'til breakfast?"

Vanille blushed, smiling playfully. "You did say you were gonna make up for hurting me."

"I remember." Fang turned Vanille around and hugged the smaller woman against her.

Vanille sighed as their slippery bodies pressed together and shivered when Fang's strong hands slid up her back. When she looked into Fang's eyes and saw the faint smirk crossing her lips, she felt her heart skip a beat. Leaning in without wasting a moment, she locked their lips together, pressing into her love as she wrapped her arms around her neck.

They moved backwards as their lips meshed together, drifting toward one of the large rock structures and pressing against it as they kissed each other more fiercely.

Fang pulled back to graze her lips along Vanille's jaw line and kiss her neck as the shorter woman's hands slid up her abdomen. Her breath grew short as Vanille's hands slid over her breasts. Returning to Vanille's lips, Fang kissed her even more deeply, resting her hands against Vanille's hip bones before sliding them down the back of her thighs and lifting her slightly so she could press their hips together.

Hands and lips began to roam and the world around them disappeared until there was nothing left but the two of them making love in peaceful bliss.

* * *

A while later, the two women lay in the grass near the lake, the towel spread beneath them. They wore nothing but their undergarments, hoping to dry in the hot sun before they dressed and returned to the house.

"That was _just_ what we needed." Fang grinned, running her fingers up and down Vanille's back as the younger woman lay against her chest.

Vanille giggled close to her ear, kissing her cheek. "I'm glad we could get away."

"We can _never_ go that long again," Fang insisted, peeking down at her.

"It hasn't been that long," Vanille replied with an amused smile, brushing her fingers through her girlfriend's wet hair.

"It was long enough," Fang assured her, but she was mostly kidding. "So, are you feeling a little less stressed?"

Vanille nodded and nuzzled against her. "Everything's perfect now, and we're gonna go on a trip soon. I'm really excited."

Fang laughed lightly. "If we go while Snow and Serah are on their honeymoon, Sazh and Dajh will have the house all to themselves."

"What about Lightning?" Vanille reminded her, frowning sourly at the mention of her.

"Light barely lives there anymore," Fang replied with a shrug. "Between work and the boyfriend, if they're even still dating, we never see her."

Vanille pursed her lips. "Well, _I'm_ happy right now, so let's just lie here and not talk about anyone else."

Fang nodded in agreement, kissing her forehead. "We can lie here as long as you like."

"What if I wanna stay forever?" Vanille asked sweetly.

"It'll be real romantic 'til we get hungry," Fang replied humorously.

Laughing into her shoulder, Vanille snuggled against her.

Fang closed her eyes with a happy sigh and wrapped her other arm around Vanille, holding her close. "If I fall asleep, wake me when you wanna go."

"What if I fall asleep too?" Vanile murmured quietly.

"Then I guess we'll be out here a while."

Vanille smiled sleepily and hugged her close. "Mmkay."

Fang did not really want to fall asleep in the wilderness in her underwear, but she could tell that Vanille was exhausted, which was not surprising considering how many nights she and Serah stayed up planning what Fang figured better be the most spectacular wedding in history. Knowing her partner needed rest, Fang decided to let her nap for a while as she watched the clouds pass overhead.

The world was so peaceful and the feeling of Vanille resting in her arms was familiar and safe, leaving Fang happy and so utterly complete. As she stared up at the clouds drifting lazily overhead, Fang mused that there was nothing she wanted more than to spend the rest of her life with the woman in her arms. She cherished the thought of their bright future.

* * *

Serah walked into the kitchen and nearly jumped when she spotted her sister standing by the fridge. "Claire, will you spend some time with me tonight?"

Lightning looked up and frowned. "I have work tonight."

"Didn't you just come from work?" Serah pouted.

"I'm on my break," Lightning explained.

"Why are you working so much?" Serah demanded, crossing her arms. "It's not healthy, Claire."

"We're understaffed right now," Lightning replied with a sigh. "I need to work all the time."

"What about my wedding?" Serah asked, growing emotional.

Lightning furrowed her brows. "I won't miss the wedding."

"I know, but there's so much to do for next week. Can't you take time off?" Serah begged, taking a step toward her. "Vanille has been doing _everything_. She's really tired and almost as stressed as me."

"I'm sorry, but I've been really busy," Lightning told her firmly. "I'm not good at this kind of thing anyway. Vanille is better, so let her help."

"I know, but you're my sister," Serah protested. "I can wait up for you tonight if you'll be really late. Please?"

"I won't be back until three in the morning," Lightning replied, sighing apologetically. "I have to do this. My job is important."

"More important than my wedding?!" Serah nearly shrieked.

"Whoa. What's going on in here?" Snow interrupted, walking hastily to Serah's side and wrapping his arm around her. "Is everything okay?"

Serah sighed, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry, but the stress is really getting to me. I feel like I'm all alone without Claire here."

"You're never going to be alone again," Snow promised Serah with a gentle kiss to her brow. "I'm with you every step of the way. Everyone else is here for you too."

Serah gave Lightning a pointed look. "But I need my big sister. When will you be free to help?"

"I'm not sure. I get called in a lot," Lightning grumbled, lowering her eyes. "Maybe tomorrow. How is there even anything left to do?"

"Weddings are really detailed," Serah replied with an annoyed huff. "I really just want to spend some time together. Claire, I need your support—emotional support."

Lightning frowned uncomfortably. "Fine. We can talk tomorrow."

Serah looked relieved. "Thank you. I can't wait."

With a stiff nod, Lightning turned back to the fridge.

"How was work, Snow?" Serah asked him gently as she turned to face him.

"It was the same as usual," Snow answered, smiling warmly. "How was your day?"

The two of them chatted for a while until Hope walked into the room and asked, "Hey, Serah, where can Cassi stay when she gets here?"

"Who's Cassi?" Lightning asked with narrowed yes.

"She's my friend from school," Hope explained, flushing faintly. "She's staying for a while."

"Since when?" Lightning demanded.

"Since we hired her to play the harp at the wedding," Serah replied quickly. "She's coming so we can work out what songs she'll play at the ceremony."

"No one was going to ask me about this?" Lightning's eyebrow twitched.

"Claire, this is really important to me," Serah replied with puppy eyes. "Do you really mind?"

Lightning sighed. "Where is she going to stay?"

"Well, I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable having to share a bed with someone she didn't know..." Serah furrowed her brows. "Hope volunteered to give up the futon in the basement, but I'm sure she doesn't want to sleep down there with Sazh and Dajh and I didn't think I should put her with Fang and Vanille either."

"Why not?" Fang asked, walking into the kitchen with a grin. "We don't bite."

Serah laughed awkwardly. "Well, you know, you have a tendency to...well..."

"Yeah?" Fang prompted with a smirk.

"Flirt with people and make them uncomfortable," Lightning replied with a roll of her eyes.

"That so, Light?" Fang asked with a catlike grin. "I hadn't noticed, but I do like to tease. When you see how someone reacts to it, you can learn what they're really all about."

"Fang makes it sound philosophical, but she really just likes making people blush," Vanille argued as she walked into the kitchen. Jokingly, she added, "I think she wants everyone to think she's pretty."

"I like to think it works because I'm _gorgeous_," Fang huffed, wrapping her arms around Vanille's waist and pulling the shorter woman against her. "Don't you agree?"

Vanille nodded, giggling as she hugged her.

"Right...so where can my friend sleep?" Hope interrupted awkwardly.

"I guess she can take the bed upstairs. I could sleep in Claire's room and Snow could sleep downstairs," Serah suggested.

Lightning's eyebrow twitched, but she remained silent.

"Sounds like a plan." Snow pulled away from Serah and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "We better go. Hope, Sazh and I are meeting the other groomsmen to talk about the bachelor party."

Serah nodded pleasantly and waved. "I'll see you later. Have fun!"

They both waved and left.

Lightning stood up and headed out the door, mumbling, "I better go too."

Vanille furrowed her brows, glancing at Serah. "I thought you were gonna ask her to help tonight."

Serah merely lowered her eyes. "Are you busy tonight, Vanille? We don't have to do anything. I just need to talk."

"You mean about what we were talking about before?" Vanille asked with wide eyes.

Serah nodded, biting her lip. "Maybe we can talk upstairs?"

"Sure." Vanille smiled weakly at Fang. "Is it okay if I go? We spent the whole day together."

"Sure. Don't worry about me," Fang replied with a shrug, sightly suspicious. "Serah, did Light say she wouldn't help you tonight?"

"She's just too busy," Serah replied dismissively. "It's okay."

Fang nodded, pursing her lips before shaking her head and smiling. "Well, anyway, I'll see you two later. Try to get to bed on time, Vanille."

"I will," Vanille promised cheerfully.

As Fang was walking out the door, she heard Serah whisper, "I really need your help, Vanille. I was going to talk to Claire tonight, but I just don't know what to say."

"It'll be okay, Serah," Vanille assured her gently. "But you really have to tell her."

"She's going to be _so_ mad," Serah whispered.

Fang shut the door behind her and frowned curiously.

* * *

Lightning awoke at four in the morning to a strange beeping sound. She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes and trying to figure out what was going on. The covert agent had only been asleep for half an hour after working for the entire night. As her vision began to clear and her senses became sharper, she realized that an alarm had awoken her. At first, she thought the noise was coming from somewhere else in the house, but it was so loud and clear that she knew it had to be in her bedroom.

Slipping out of bed, Lightning pulled her PMC off the dresser and checked to make sure that she had not set her alarm for AM instead of PM, but her alarm was correct and was not expected to go off for several more hours. The sound persisted, so in a fit of frustration, Lightning began to look around her room. She was too exhausted to think clearly for a while, but after she still could not find the alarm for almost five minutes of irritating beeping, she realized that she had only ever had one alarm clock and it was sitting on her dresser. The only way that another alarm could be going off in her room would be if someone had put it there.

Growling, Lightning nearly exploded as she shouted, "FANG!"

A few moments later, there were heavy footsteps on the attic stairs and her door was thrown open. Fang appeared in the doorway, looking groggy but ready to fight. She wore nothing but a tank top and her underwear and was holding her staff in her hand.

"What's wrong?" Fang gasped, looking for an assailant.

"What's wrong?!" Lightning snapped angrily, taking a step toward her. "What is that noise?"

Fang raised her brow, relaxing. "You mean the alarm? Did you check your clock?"

"It's not the clock," Lightning told her angrily.

"Did you misplace your watch?" Fang asked with a grin, resting against her staff.

"This isn't funny, Fang," Lightning snapped, storming toward her and gripping the top of her tank top. "I've been awake for a very long time, so you better get that alarm out of wherever you hid it, turn it off, and let me sleep."

"Oh, you think _I_ did this?" Fang inquired with an eager grin. "Sorry, Light, but it wasn't me. I'll help you look if you want, but I don't know where it's coming from either."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "I'm not kidding, Fang."

"Neither am I," Fang insisted innocently. "Want some help or not? Don't take this offer lightly. There's a real cute girl waiting for me upstairs and I don't like to leave her for too long."

With a roll of her eyes, Lightning grumbled, "Just help me find it."

The two women looked for a while, but eventually the alarm went off. Neither was able to find it, so Lightning had no choice but to leave it until morning.

"Too bad we couldn't find it," Fang mused, placing her hands on her hips. "I guess we'll get another chance if it goes off again tomorrow."

Lightning glared. "If I find out you're behind this, I'll kill you."

Fang laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Oh, come on, Light. We both know I'm stronger."

With a growl, Lightning searched her room one last time before sitting on the bed, defeated.

"I'll help you look again when we're all awake," Fang promised before walking to the door. Waving over her shoulder, Fang mumbled, "See you later."

Fang walked quietly up the attic stairs and slipped into her bedroom. She placed her staff against the bedpost before she crawled back into bed, snuggling close to Vanille as slowly as she could.

Vanille suddenly awoke, yawning as she glanced over her shoulder. "What time is it?"

"It's not time to get up yet," Fang murmured, kissing her cheek as she wrapped her arms around her.

"Where were you?" Vanille whispered groggily. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing," Fang replied, grinning as she kissed Vanille's shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

With a sleepy nod, Vanille cuddled back against Fang and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

AN: Here is the second chapter! Sorry it took so long to update. Thanks to everyone who has been reading. All your comments make me so happy! :) This chapter was a little rushed because I really wanted to update, but I hope you like it anyway. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: OCs and plot are mine. Everything else belongs to Square Enix.

Fang awoke to sunlight peeking through the window. The white curtains billowed in the warm breeze as the tranquil sounds of the outside world filled her ears. She stretched and turned over, her arm snaking out in search of her love. When her fingers met nothing but empty air, Fang opened her eyes with a frown. She had woken up alone again for the third time in four days.

The room came into focus and Fang realized there was a neatly folded note lying atop Vanille's pillow. The sheets were still warm, so she knew that Vanille had snuck away not long ago. The note read:

_Good morning, Fang! You looked so cute sleeping that I didn't want to wake you. There was an emergency with the caterer this morning, so Serah and I went to Korrin to sort it out. Sorry we didn't get to wake up together. See you later!_

Fang dropped the note onto the pillow with a huff and turned onto her back. Although she thought Vanille's letter was cute, especially with all the Xs and Os at the bottom, she hated waking up without her so often. It was unlike Fang to be bothered by anything like that, especially when in the past she had often had to leave for work before Vanille truly awoke. However, the fact that they rarely saw each other at all lately was beginning to make her feel a bit depressed.

Her only comfort was the fact that the wedding was only a week away. Once it was over, there would be no more wedding emergencies, Vanille would no longer be so stressed, and Fang could expect that no one would be kidnapping her girlfriend early in the morning from that point forwards. It truly annoyed Fang that Vanille was kept so busy, especially when Lightning should be doing her part. If Serah had some more support from her sister, she would not rely so heavily on Vanille, and perhaps the younger Gran Pulsian would be able to get some proper rest for once.

Fang decided to return to sleep, but after tossing and turning for a while she gave up and threw the covers off. She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her hair, before heading for the kitchen. Her stomach was already grumbling. Fang had woken up a bit later than usual, and since the others had probably all eaten, she decided to make her new favorite breakfast.

Upon reaching the living room, Fang realized that the house was much quieter than usual. She mused that everyone else must be running errands. Her thoughts were confirmed when she reached the kitchen and found that several notes had been left on the table. The first was from Serah informing everyone in the house that she and Vanille were going to Korrin and would not return until later. The second was from Snow, telling Fang that he was taking the dogs for a walk and should be home in half an hour. The third note was from Sazh telling everyone that he was taking Dajh to a new science exhibit at the Museum of Korrin and would not return until late in the afternoon.

Fang smirked as she realized she might be completely alone. Abandoning her plan to eat breakfast, she returned to the second floor. Sending a glance over her shoulder when she reached the top to make sure that it was not some kind of trick, Fang strode forwards and knocked on Lightning's door.

"Hey, Light, are you still sleeping in there?" Fang asked as she glanced at the clock on her PMC. "I figured you'd be back to work by now, but if you're not..."

Silence was her answer, so Fang pushed the door open with a grin. She glanced back out into the hallway, making sure the bathroom light was not on, and then she walked to the window to look outside. Every air car was absent from the driveway except her own, meaning that she truly was alone in the house. With a gleeful noise, Fang shut Lightning's door and crouched on the floor, beginning to reach under the dresser.

The door downstairs suddenly slammed and footsteps raced up the stairs. "Fang, are you up here? I saw your air card in the driveway!"

"Damn. I forgot about Hope," Fang grumbled, retracting her hand and standing quietly.

"Fang? Are you here?" Hope shouted up the attic stairs before his footsteps padded across the hallway. "Hello?"

Fang waited patiently, listening to the sound of his footsteps walking up the attic stairs. She heard him knock on her door, pace around for a few moments, and then walk down the stairs. Then she heard him cross the hallway on the second floor and go into Snow and Serah's bathroom. Fang waited a beat just to be certain that he had closed the door before she pushed open Lightning's door and snuck into the hallway.

"Fang?" Hope asked with raised brows.

Internally, Fang cursed. Hope had looked for something in Serah and Snow's bathroom, but he had not remained inside when he closed the door.

"Hey, there. What're you doing up here?" Fang asked innocently.

"I needed a band-aid," Hope replied, holding out his finger, which he had wrapped with a band-aid that he presumably found in the bathroom. Narrowing his eyes, Hope asked, "Why did you just come out of Lighting's room?"

"I was looking for a book she borrowed from me," Fang lied easily, changing the subject. "Hey, are you still in school? How come you get to spend the whole week here?"

"The last day of classes was a week before I got here," Hope explained. "We get summers off."

"Wow, the whole summer? That's pretty lucky." Fang steered him toward the stairs. "Well, I'm about to make some breakfast if you want some."

"What are you making?" Hope followed her down the stairs. "Is it spicy?"

"Doesn't have to be." Fang shrugged. "I was planning on making omelets."

"That sounds good." Hope plopped down at the table, glancing around curiously. "Where is everyone?"

"Read the notes," Fang suggested. "I'm assuming Light's at work."

"Serah and Vanille are in Korrin again. Does that mean they're doing _more_ weddings stuff?" Hope gasped. "Serah's getting really crazy about this wedding."

"Yeah, I know." Fang cracked some eggs over the pan. "I dunno what's gotten into her. She thinks everything's gonna fall apart at the last minute. Last night, she was upset because Light never sent an RSVP, like she's gonna miss her own sister's wedding."

"Women are so weird," Hope huffed, but then he flushed. "I mean, uh, _some _women."

Fang laughed. "I can't imagine getting that worked up over a wedding. What's the point if you're gonna be so stressed? Serah's going crazy and Vanille's taking the brunt of it. I don't like it."

"I guess weddings are really important to some people, especially girls." Hope explained, "I told Cassi about it, but she says this is normal for girls. Apparently she's been planning her own wedding since she was a kid."

"It must be a culture thing," Fang exclaimed. "Girls got excited for marriage in Oerba too, but they didn't do much of the planning, so no one ever acted like this."

Hope sighed miserably. "It's really sad. Serah used to be so nice."

Fang laughed. "I'm sure she'll go back to normal once it's over. It's gotta be stressful trying to make everything perfect. Vanille's feeling it too and she's not even getting married."

"When Vanille gets married, she can get revenge by making Serah the maid of honor," Hope exclaimed, but then he realized what he had said and frowned awkwardly. "I mean, if you two are planning on...eventually doing that."

Fang smiled, wondering if he still found it hard to accept that they were together. "So, how'd your finals go? Do you have final exams in tenth grade?"

"Yeah, we have stupid standardized tests. Everyone in New Cocoon has to take them." Hope pursed his lips in annoyance. "I had to take three and there was barely a chance to study. I won't know how I did until August."

"What if you don't do well?"

"I'd have to retake the classes, but I did well. I'm good at school." Hope glanced at her, asking curiously, "What was school like in Oerba? Did you guys have school?"

"There wasn't much in the way of formal schooling, but the matrons gave us classes at the orphanage. We mostly learned life skills, nothing like what you study now. We learned cooking, hunting, mending clothes, and taking care of tools..." Fang smiled nostalgically. "Once you got older, you either took up a trade or became a hunter. That was where you got the rest of your education. I went on to be a hunter, but Vanille became the jewelry maker's apprentice."

"Everyone had to learn hunting?" Hope asked in surprise.

"Yep. Oerba was a hunting village," Fang explained as she added tomatoes and onions to the omelets. "We'd trade with other villages for resources. We needed a lot of hunters, so hunters had real easy lives except for the danger. We also had a tradition where everyone had to go on the 'first hunt' when they were fifteen. That was the only hunt for everyone who decided not to be a hunter."

"Did Vanille do it too?" Hope leaned forwards in his seat. "I can't imagine her hunting."

Fang laughed. "She was pretty scared, but it turned out okay. She made her first kill all on her own."

"Wow. Your village sounds pretty cool." Hope braced his elbows against the table. "I know school is important, but I hate going. It's really boring, especially when I don't even know what I want to do with my life. I considered joining NORA like you guys, but I like computers and science, so maybe I'll do something with that instead."

"Better stay in school then." Fang replied with a faint smile.

A key turned in the lock, distracting them. The door opened and shut and suddenly Snow walked into the house, releasing the dogs' leashes. Kiwi and Ripper, who had both grown extremely large, suddenly bounded into the kitchen, tails wagging excitedly. Snow was soon to follow, and he laughed when he saw Kiwi pawing at Fang's legs hoping for scraps while Ripper tried to pounce on Hope's lap.

"Ooh, is that breakfast? I didn't eat yet," Snow exclaimed, peeking at the stove as he smelled the onions.

"Want an omelet?" Fang asked with a grin.

"Sure!" Snow replied excitedly.

"Coming right up," Fang replied with a chuckle.

Hope struggled to push Ripper away, petting his head. "Snow, can we talk in the living room?"

"Do you need some more advice?" Snow asked with a knowing look.

"Yeah," Hope nodded, embarrassed.

"Okay, let's go." Snow glanced at Fang. "We'll be back soon."

"Okay, but if you're gonna talk about girls, you might as well stay," Fang pointed out. "I give pretty good advice."

"You'll make fun of me," Hope huffed, crossing his arms.

"I would not," Fang gasped, feigning hurt.

Hope rolled his eyes. "Come on, Snow."

The two guys left the room, leaving Fang alone with the dogs, who both immediately began whining for scraps. Fang nudged them away with her foot at first, but finally they were both so annoying that she dropped some bacon.

"There, now stay quiet," Fang grumbled, hints of amusement in her eyes. "I'm trying to eavesdrop here."

Hope sat on the couch farthest from the kitchen and sighed. "Okay, so, you know how I have a huge crush on Cassi?"

Snow nodded, grinning. "I bet you're excited she'll be staying for a few days."

"I am, but..." Hope crossed his arms. "I'm scared to have her here because things are usually...so crazy in this house. I don't want her to think I'm weird."

Snow patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Everyone has a weird family, Hope. Just be yourself and don't worry about the rest of us. If Cassi really likes you, she won't care."

"I guess you're right." Hope sighed. "This is just the first girl I've _really_ liked since..."

"I know." Snow interrupted as he glanced fleetingly toward the kitchen, wondering if Fang could hear. "Do you think Cassi likes you back?"

"I don't know." Hope pouted. "I thought Vanille liked me back, but she and Fang are...you know."

"Yeah, we all know." Snow laughed. "What does Cassi act like when she's around you?"

"She's really sweet and kind of shy." Hope grinned. "She blushes a lot."

"Really?" Snow clapped his hands together. "That's a good sign. I bet she does like you."

"I just hope I'm not wrong again." Hope groaned. "I _really_ want her to like me. I was almost going to ask her to be my date at the wedding, since she's going anyway, but I kind of chickened out."

"Asking her to a wedding?" Snow's eyes widened. "That's a big step, buddy."

"I know." Hope leaned back against the couch. "I just want her to know I like her."

"You'll tell her when you're ready, Hope." Snow smiled. "I bet she'll say yes, too."

Hope grinned at the thought but then wilted. "What if Fang plays pranks on Cassi or tries to embarrass me while she's here? She _loves_ embarrassing people!"

"I do not," Fang protested from the kitchen doorway.

"Are you spying on us?" Hope demanded, flushing as he glared.

"I was coming to tell you breakfast is ready, so you're welcome," Fang replied, grinning. "I think it's great you're gonna bring your girlfriend here, Hope. It'll be fun."

Hope frowned. "Fang, if you play any pranks, I'll tell Vanille."

"I swear I'll be good," Fang promised.

Though he was still suspicious, Hope stood. "Let's just eat breakfast. Thanks for talking to me, Snow."

"Hey, if you want Cassi to know you like her, you should take her out. Go to a movie or walk around town or something," Fang suggested. "The more time you spend together, the more she'll see that you like her."

"What if she thinks Troth is boring?" Hope groaned, shaking his head. "Dating is too hard."

"You're only fifteen, Hope." Snow laughed. "It'll get easier."

Fang smiled nostalgically as she walked back into the kitchen, recalling was it had been like to be fifteen and in love. "Come eat your breakfast before it gets cold, boys. It's not every day you get the privilege of my cooking."

"We're on our way!" Snow replied enthusiastically, nudging Hope's shoulder. "Everything will be fine with Cassi. Just be you."

Hope nodded, hoping that being himself would be good enough. He really wanted Cassi to like him and did not think he could handle another rejection.

* * *

"Okay, let's just go through this list and we can take a break," Serah murmured, her furrowed brows causing a wrinkle in her forehead.

Vanille frowned, studying the list in Serah's hands as she asked with concern, "Serah, is that another checklist?"

Serah flushed, biting her lip. "I made it last week before I promised not to make another one. I haven't made one since, I swear."

"Okay." Vanille sighed with relief, reaching for the list. "I'll read things off. You tell me which ones are definitely done and I'll check them off, okay?"

Serah nodded, smiling. "That sounds great. Thanks, Vanille."

"Did you reconfirm the arrival time with all the venders?" Vanille asked.

Serah nodded. "I just called the last one this morning."

"You definitely gave the bridesmaids all their tasks," Vanille mumbled, making two check marks. "Did you finish the contact list and the time-line for the bridesmaids?"

Serah nodded, adding "I emailed it to you so you can check it over. What else?"

"Do you know when you're going to pick up your dress?" Vanille asked excitedly. "It's so beautiful!"

Serah nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm going to the last fitting tomorrow."

"I thought that was two weeks ago," Vanille pointed out with a frown.

"This is an emergency fitting." Serah sighed. "I guess my bust and waist got a little bigger. The dress didn't fit perfectly last time."

"Oh, no," Vanille gasped.

"It's okay. I just gained some weight." Serah hugged herself. "I guess it's normal."

"Yeah, especially when you're too stressed," Fang exclaimed as she suddenly walked into the room. When both women jumped, she raised her brows. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay, Fang," Vanille replied cheerfully. "We're just going over some—"

"Last minute wedding stuff?" Fang teased as she wrapped her arms around Vanille's shoulders from behind and rested her chin atop her head. "So, what's next on the list? Ooh, that looks important. Did you make sure the photographer knows what you want her to take pictures of and when?"

"Yes, I just got off the phone with her." Serah looked pleased and began to relax. "We're so close to being finished with everything."

Vanille nodded in agreement. "Everything's almost ready."

"I'm glad to hear that." Fang kissed Vanille's cheek and pulled away. "I'll make some lunch. Do you want anything specific?"

"I was going to make grilled cheese," Serah murmured.

"That goes perfectly with the soup I was gonna make," Fang exclaimed happily. "I'll get started."

"Fang, soup's to hot for summer," Vanille protested with a grin.

"Well, I want some soup, so summer's gonna have to deal with it." Fang removed a pot from the cupboard and smiled at them. "Don't mind me. Keep working."

"What else is on the list?" Serah asked gently.

"Does everyone have the final guest list?" Vanille asked.

Serah shook her head. "I have to send that out tomorrow. Will you remind me?"

"Sure. I'll put a star next to it." Vanille went through a few more things before grinning. "This is the last one. Book a spa treatment for the day before the wedding. What's a spa treatment?"

"Well, I'm getting a manicure, a pedicure, and a massage," Serah replied, smiling guiltily. "I know it's an extra expense, but I'm only getting married once. We'll be looking at these pictures for the rest of our lives, so I want to be relaxed and look my best."

"That sounds like fun," Vanile exclaimed, putting another star next to it. "You should make the appointment soon."

Serah nodded. "I'm mostly excited about the massage. I think it'll help with the stress."

"Anything that'll help is a good idea," Fang commented from the stove, frowning worriedly. "You're starting to look kind of sick."

"I'm just really tired," Serah insisted with a reassuring smile. "Planning a wedding is hard work."

"Are we done for now?" Vanille asked, biting her lip.

Serah nodded. "You can go if you want. I think we're done except for a few things coming up."

"We're finally there!" Vanille giggled happily. "The bridal shower is in two days. Can you believe it?"

"I really can't." Tears formed in Serah's eyes as she smiled. "I finally get to be married after everything we all went through."

"It's gonna be so fun." Vanille grinned before standing and crossing the room. Appearing next to Fang, she asked, "Do you want some help?"

"Sure, but I already chopped everything up and put it in the pot." Fang laughed. "There's not much else to do."

Vanille shrugged, throwing her arms around Fang's waist and burying her face in her shoulder. "Is this helping?"

"It's not what I had in mind, but I'm not complaining," Fang replied with a gin as she wrapped one arm around Vanille and used the other to continue stirring.

With a giggle, Vanille cuddled into her.

"You two are so cute!" Serah exclaimed happily.

"We are, aren't we?" Fang agreed, glancing over her shoulder. She frowned when she realized that Serah had rested her head against the table, her eyes closed. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Serah opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "I just didn't get a lot of seep last night."

"I think you should go take a nap," Fang suggested. "You're almost done with everything, so there's some time to relax."

"I guess you're right..." Serah shook her head. "I'm just so stressed."

"You'd think there wouldn't be so much to stress over anymore," Fang commented idly.

"So, are you saying I'm overreacting?!" Serah snapped, causing both women to flinch. With wide eyes, she gasped, "I'm really sorry. Maybe I _should_ take a nap."

"That's probably a good idea, Serah," Vanille offered gently. "I bet you'll feel better after."

Serah nodded and stood. "You're right, Vanille. I'll see you two later."

On her way out of the room, Serah opened the cupboard and removed a jar of peanut butter. She took a spoon and quickly left the room.

"Vanille, is Serah feeling okay?" Fang asked, brows furrowed with worry.

"I bet she'll feel better after the wedding," Vanille replied with a sigh, cuddling against Fang and closing her eyes.

"You should get some sleep too," Fang pointed out as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You're practically falling asleep on me. How am I supposed to cook like this?"

"I guess we just can't eat," Vanille replied dramatically. "I'll take a nap after lunch, but only if you come with me."

"I guess if there's no other choice," Fang replied with a sigh.

"Fang!" Vanille hit her shoulder. "You love sleeping with me."

"No argument here." Fang smirked, leaning down to capture her lips.

Lightning walked into the kitchen and rolled her eyes. "If you set my house on fire because you're not paying attention to the stove—"

"Relax, Light," Fang murmured as she pulled away from Vanille, still grinning at her partner. "I multitask pretty well."

Ignoring her response, Lightning walked to the fridge and opened it. When she noticed Vanille was glaring at her, she pursed her lips. "What?"

"Aren't you going to ask how the wedding planning is going?" Vanille replied with a frown.

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Why don't you tell me?"

"It's going great. We're almost done with everything," Vanille replied sourly.

"Good," Lightning replied stiffly, turning away.

Vanille sighed and broke away from Fang, walking toward her. "Lightning, Serah still really wants to spend some time with you. She's really stressed out and wants to talk. Are you going to be busy tonight?"

"I don't know," Lightning grumbled. "I have work."

"You always have work," Vanille gasped. "Why can't you take some time off to help your sister? Serah really needs you."

"You already said there was almost nothing left to do," Lightning interrupted harshly. "Serah and I will work out when we can spend some time together, but it's none of your business. Stay out of it."

"None of my business?" Vanille snapped angrily. "_I'm_ the one who has to do all the work that you won't do. Serah needs your help, not mine, so you better talk to her or—"

"Or what?" Lightning interrupted coldly, shutting the fridge.

"Why don't we all settle down?" Fang interrupted, narrowing her eyes at Lightning.

"I'm settled down," Lightning grunted before turning and walking out of the room.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Vanille muttered with a pout.

"You stir the soup for a second," Fang told Vanille gently. "I'll go talk to Light."

Vanille nodded, closing her eyes. "Sorry for yelling."

Fang merely patted her shoulder before walking out of the room.

* * *

When Fang caught up to Lightning, the ex-soldier was slipping into her boots and hallway out the door. "Light, wait up."

Lightning paused, rolling her eyes. "Are you here to yell at me too?"

Fang furrowed her brows. "That depends. What's so important that you can't take a few hours to help Serah?"

"Work," Lightning stressed. "I know it's a foreign concept to some of you who take months off from work and just keep living here, but I have a lot to do."

"It sounds to me like you're trying to avoid being here," Fang pointed out, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I know you love your sister enough to risk death and worse to save her life, and I know you got over the fact that she and Snow want to get married, so what's really going on?"

Lightning rolled her eyes, but she seemed to calm down. "I'm just really busy, and I have to go. I'll work this out with Serah. Vanille doesn't have to get involved."

"While you're taking your time to work this out, Vanille is barely sleeping because she's working so hard," Fang pointed out with narrowed eyes. "You think about that on your way to _work_."

Though she furrowed her brows, the ex-soldier turned away and walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

* * *

There was a quiet knock on the door. Serah stirred but did not awaken from deep slumber. She snuggled into the light summer blankets in her sleep, hugging the pillow more tightly.

"Serah, are you okay?"

The door opened and Snow poked his head inside. He smiled faintly when he saw his fiancee resting peacefully on the bed. Walking inside, he shut the door behind him and crept across the room. Then he sat on the side of the bed and nudged her shoulder.

Serah stirred, eyes fluttering open. "Snow?"

"Is everything okay?" Snow asked gently as he leaned closer.

"I'm fine," Serah whispered sleepily. "How was work? Why are you home so early?"

"I didn't have work today. I was running errands, remember?" Snow stroked her cheek with his thumb. "How are you feeling? Vanille said you came up here to take a nap."

"I feel a lot better after resting." Serah sighed weakly. "I can't believe I'm so tired all the time. This is so unfair."

"I'm really sorry," Snow piped up at once.

"It's okay." Serah giggled, shaking her head. "It doesn't help that I'm getting extra stressed now that the wedding is so close."

"Don't worry so much, Serah. I promise it'll all go well." Snow leaned forwards and kissed her forehead. "Do you want me to get you something to eat? You slept through dinner, so I warned up the meatballs and sauce you put in the freezer last week and made pasta for everyone."

"That was so nice, Snow." Serah grinned happily. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to cook."

"You don't always have to cook," Snow assured her gently. "How about I go get some food and we just stay up here and watch a movie together? Will that help you relax?"

"That sounds really nice." Serah smiled apologetically. "Sorry I've been so moody lately."

"I didn't notice," Snow lied immediately.

Serah grinned and hit his arm. "Yes, you did."

"Nope, not at all." Snow leaned forwards to kiss her lips. "I'll help you with everything until the wedding, okay? I don't want you feeling stressed anymore. It's not good for you."

With a grateful nod, Serah exclaimed, "Thanks, Snow."

"Always," Snow replied before standing. "I'll be right back with food. Why don't you pick a movie you like?"

"Okay."

Serah watched Snow leave before she sighed and climbed out of bed. When she turned on the light, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and frowned, spinning around in a circle. She really was gaining weight in spite of the way that Vanille assured her it was not noticeable.

With a sigh, Serah immediately crossed the room to pick a movie.

Soon afterward, Snow nudged the door open with his elbow and came in carrying a tray with a glass of water, a large plate of pasta with meatballs, and a few cookies. He paused when he noticed that Serah was looking at herself in the mirror again.

"You look different," Snow exclaimed, studying her.

"I know." Serah flushed, tugging uncomfortably at her shirt. "They had to alter my wedding dress."

"You look really beautiful," Snow assured her, setting the tray down on the be and walking over to wrap his arms around her waist. "I don't know why, but you look even more beautiful now."

"Oh, Snow, you're so sweet!" Serah exclaimed, smiling at him in the mirror. "Come on. Let's go sit on the bed."

"You sit down first and I'll give you the tray," Snow suggested pleasantly.

Serah nodded and kissed his cheek before pulling away to lie on the bed. She pulled the sheets over herself even though she was not cold.

Snow waited until Serah was comfortable and then put the tray on her lap before joining her beneath the sheets. He slid closer, wrapping one arm around her while being careful not to knock over the tray. Then he pulled her gently closer, allowing her to lean back against him.

"I hope you don't mind this movie," Serah commented, pointing to the romantic comedy on the screen. "I wanted to watch something really cute."

"I think this movie is perfect," Snow replied with a grin.

Serah laughed, nuzzling her head against his chest. "You're perfect, Snow. I'm so happy we're getting married."

"Me too," he agreed, hugging her.

* * *

Later that night, several of the members of the Farron household were gathered in front of the television in the living room.

"Okay, Hope, I'm ready," Sazh exclaimed, glancing at the teenager as he asked dramatically, "Are you sure you got this?"

"I'm good at this game," Hope assured him as he sat cross-legged on the floor, a game controller held comfortably in his hands.

"But are you good enough to beat Dajh?" Sazh demanded, glancing at his son, who sat smugly beside him. "The stakes are pretty high."

"Dad, let's just start." Dajh pressed the start button, grinning as he added, "I can't wait to not have to do dishes for a month."

"Dajh, I'm _way_ better at this game than you," Hope said confidently. "There's no way you'll win."

"Nu-uh, I'm better." Dajh stuck out his tongue. "I'm gonna kick your butt."

_Ready. Set. Go!_ The game proclaimed as a bell rang.

The three immediately began pressing buttons as they used the joysticks to guide their cars. Hope and Sazh were in the same car, so Hope was steering while Sazh used his controller to pick up and throw special items at the other cars. As the race went on, Dajh used a series of buttons that made up a special combo, somehow accelerating his speed until he was zooming past the other cars. Hope followed suit and soon they were head to head at the front of the line.

"We're almost there, Hope," Sazh cried. "Press the A button!"

"Press the B button, not A," Hope argued. "We'll go faster."

"Really?" Sazh pressed the B button. When the car suddenly lit up and sped through the track, he yelped happily, "That's how we do it! Hell yeah!" Then he gasped. "Oops. Sorry, Dajh. I didn't mean to swear in front of you."

"Whatever, Dad. Everyone swears at school."

"Really?" Sazh glanced at his son, shocked. "Already?"

"Eyes on the screen, Sazh!" Hope commanded. "We almost just fell off the bridge."

"Sorry!" Sazh concentrated on the screen and began mashing buttons even more intensely.

"What's the point of this game?" Fang suddenly asked from where she was seated on the couch. "You just race each other to the finish line?"

"Yep," Hope replied distantly. "Whoever finishes first gets more points. Then we have three more races. The points carry over so whoever has the highest grand total wins."

"Don't talk to Fang. Focus!" Sazh shouted as Dajh's car zoomed past them.

"We won't lose," Hope promised, hitting another series of buttons.

Seconds from the finish line, Hope and Sazh sped past Dajh, winning the race by seconds.

"No!" Dajh wailed in protested, dropping his controller on the ground.

"Yes!" Sazh cheered, high fiving Hope before grinning at his son. "You're gonna do the dishes every night for the rest of the month. No complaining either. We won fair and square."

"Let's go again," Dajh cried. "Double or nothing."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, son?" Sazh laughed. "We already beat you once."

"Are you scared you'll lose?" Dajh taunted.

"No way. You're on, kid," Sazh replied, turning back to the screen with a serious look. "Come on, Hope. Dajh will have to do the dishes for two months straight when we're done with him."

Fang shook her head and laughed, too amused by their competitive behavior. She turned to Vanille to see if she thought it was as funny, but she was surprised to find that Vanille had collapsed on the couch beside her, her face pressed against the magazine she had been reading.

"Vanille?" Fang prodded her shoulder, concerned.

Vanille did not even stir.

Fang sighed, wrapping her arm around Vanille's shoulder and gently pulling her against her.

Vanille suddenly awoke, glancing sleepily up at her. "Who's winning? Does Dajh have to do the dishes?"

Laughing, Fang explained, "They're still trying to figure it out. If you're this tired, we should go to bed."

"I don't wanna." Vanille pouted, wrapping her arms around Fang's waist and cuddling against her. "I wanna stay right here."

Fang laughed, wrapping her arms around her. "Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm," Vanille murmured, nodding against her shoulder.

Lightning suddenly walked down the stairs with a frown, glaring at everyone. "My phone is missing. Where is it?"

"Lightning, are you accusing us, your loving friends, of stealing from you?" Fang asked with a teasing grin.

With narrowed eyes, Lightning demanded, "Where did you put it, Fang?"

"I didn't touch your phone," Fang assured her.

Lightning studied her features, searching for truth as she glared.

"Claire, here it is!" Serah suddenly shouted, following her down the stairs. "It was on the counter in your bathroom."

Lightning accepted her phone and glared at Fang.

"Something you wanted to say to me?" Fang asked with a smirk. "Maybe you'd like to apologize?"

"I didn't leave it in the bathroom. I haven't been in there all night," Lightning told her, narrowing her eyes. "Someone else put it there, and I'm going to find out who."

"Well, good luck." Fang tilted her head curiously. "Did you find the alarm in your room? I'd be happy to help you look for it."

Serah furrowed her brows. "What's going on? No one's playing pranks, are they?"

"No," Lightning and Fang said at the same time.

"No one would do that when they know how stressed you are," Lightning added, glowering at Fang. "Right?"

"Right," Fang agreed with an innocent smile.

"Yes! Dajh, you're doing the dishes for _two_ months!" Sazh suddenly shouted.

Lightning's attention was diverted for a moment before she sighed. "I'll see you later. I have something to do."

Serah watched her sister leave the house with a frown before turning to Fang. "I think I'll just go to bed for the night. See you all tomorrow."

"We're going to bed too," Fang replied, nudging Vanille awake. "Come on, you."

"Fang, it's too early," Vanille protested. "Let's stay just a little longer."

Fang sighed and nodded, wrapping her arms around Vanille's waist and holding her close. "Fine, but only if you swear you'll come to bed on time tonight even if Serah decides to come back down because she thinks of something else to do."

"I swear," Vanille replied with a grin, burying her face in Fang's neck and smiling happily.

* * *

A while later, long after Vanille had found and exhausted her second wind, she walked up the attic stairs and into the bedroom that she shared with Fang. When she noticed that Fang was absent, she was confused at first, but then she heard the sink in the bathroom. A faint smile covered her features as she crossed the room and pushed the door open.

Fang was brushing her teeth, but she paused to grin at Vanille. "Look, it's my girlfriend coming to bed before two in the morning. I was beginning to think you were nocturnal."

With a giggle, Vanille came up behind Fang and wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face in her back. "Sorry I've been coming to bed so late, but Serah's already sleeping tonight, so there's nothing to keep me away."

"Good. I expect you'll be coming to bed on time more often now that you're almost done planning," Fang laughed as she leaned down to spit toothpaste into the sink.

Vanille merely nodded, cuddling against her.

"Don't you have to get ready for bed?" Fang teased, glancing over her shoulder with a raised brow.

Though she nodded, Vanille whined, "I don't wanna let go. Let's cuddle."

Fang chuckled, nudging Vanille back for only a moment so she could turn around and wrap her arms around her. She grinned when Vanille gripped her shirt and buried her face in her chest. Leaning down to kiss the top of her head, Fang murmured, "The sooner you get ready, the sooner we can cuddle in bed."

Vanille considered that as she pouted at Fang. "I don't wanna move though."

"Well, I can carry you to bed, but I'm not brushing your teeth for you," Fang teased, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "So, get moving."

Still pouting, Vanille pulled away to begin to get ready. She watched in the mirror as Fang walked back into the bedroom and changed from her day clothes into her usual summer night wear, a tank top and her underwear.

Fang plopped onto the bed, snuggling under the light summer sheets, and closed her eyes. A tired sigh escaped her lips before she opened her eyes and peeked up at Vanille. The younger woman was taking her time, carefully combing out her hair, which knotted sometimes because she kept it up in pigtails all day. Fang wished that she would hurry. She would never admit that she loved cuddling just as much as Vanille did, but she loved the feeling of holding her partner in her arms.

Vanille finally walked out of the bathroom, heading for the armoire with a yawn.

"Vanille, come to bed," Fang whined.

"I have to change," Vanille protested, throwing a grin over her shoulder.

"You don't need pajamas," Fang argued, smirking. "I'm just gonna take them off you anyway."

Vanille's cheeks warmed but she smiled innocently. "Why're you gonna do that, Fang?"

"Come find out," Fang replied with a wink.

"I really think I should change first." Vanille glanced at her as she began to slowly untie her skirt.

Fang watched as Vanille began to undress, trying to look innocent even as she removed each article suggestively slowly. Beginning to feel a lot more alert, Fang sat on the edge of the bed and continued to take in her partner's gorgeous body, gaze trailing over every inch of her smooth skin.

When Vanille was finished undressing and stood bare, she reached for the armoire, teasing, "What pajamas should I wear, Fang?"

Fang smirked and stood, crossing the room to wrap her arms around her waist from behind. She kissed her shoulder, sliding her hands over her bare torso as she pressed her lips to her ear. "I told you. There's no need for pajamas."

Vanille giggled and tilted her head to the side to capture Fang's lips. She sighed into a slow kiss, feeling breathless when their tongues touched. As Fang's hands spread across her chest, she covered them with her own and pressed back against her, lips still meshing together to a slow, drawn out rhythm.

Fang slid her hands down to Vanille's waist, gripping gently as she spun her around and pressed her back against the armoire. She kissed Vanille as the younger woman slid her hands up her abdomen, pushing her tank top up over her chest. When they broke apart so that Fang could pull her shirt the rest of the way over her head, Vanille leaned down to kiss her skin, lips following the curve of one breast as her fingers found the other. When her partner sighed in pleasure, Vanille reached for the waistband of Fang's underwear, sliding the article down over her hips.

Fang kicked her underwear the rest of the way off and pressed against Vanille, guiding her partner's lips to her own for the second time. She held Vanille by the waist, kissing her passionately as the younger woman's hands gripped her shoulders. Their warm bodies pressed together, and as Vanille's fingers tangled with Fang's messy hair, Fang slid her hands up her abdomen and touched her beasts, kneading and teasing as her partner moaned into their kiss.

Vanille shivered beneath Fang's touch, pressing their hips together. When Fang suddenly broke away to graze her lips down her neck, she tilted her head to the side, sighing with pleasure. Fang bit gently on her shoulder, causing her to shiver in surprise, and as she dug her fingers into her shoulders she whispered, "Fang, let's get in bed."

Fang nodded and slid her hands down the back of Vanille's thighs, gripping gently as she suddenly lifted her.

Vanille giggled in surprise, throwing her arms around Fang's neck so that she would not fall, and smiled as her partner carried her to the bed. Fang set her down lightly and slid on top of her, bringing their lips together again. Passion began to overtake them, and they lost themselves in the blissful sensations.

* * *

A while later, Fang kissed Vanille's shoulder, murmuring, "I like when you come to bed early."

"Me too," Vanille giggled, cheeks still slightly flushed.

Fang wrapped her arms around Vanille, tugging the younger woman against her. She felt sleepy, but it had been so long since they had truly lain in bed together and simply held each other that she did not want to surrender to sleep quite yet.

Vanille seemed to follow her line of thought, because she leaned up and pecked Fang's lips. Her gaze was so loving as she pulled back to stare into Fang's eyes that the older of the two felt her cheeks warming faintly.

"You're blushing," Vanille gasped, half triumphantly. She touched her warm cheek to make sure. "Fang, you never do that!"

"Well, that's what happens when you don't come to bed anymore. I start to get worried you don't like me as much as you used to," Fang complained with a chuckle, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Yeah, but you're blushing," Vanille repeated with a giggle, kissing her cheek. "I have to tease you like you tease me."

"I don't tease you," Fang huffed, feigning indignation.

"I bet I can make you blush more," Vanille exclaimed happily.

"I bet I can make you blush," Fang replied, smirking mercilessly as she leaned down to tickle her sides. "I'd rather make you laugh though."

"Fang!" Vanille yelped in protest, grabbing Fang's hands and trying to stall her movements as she could not help but laugh. "Stop. We'll wake someone in the house."

"After all the noises you were making a little while ago, if they're not awake already, this won't make a difference," Fang teased, kissing her brow.

Vanille pinked slightly. "I wasn't _that_ loud."

Fang laughed, hugging her close. "See? I told you I could make you blush."

"Fang, that was mean," Vanille pouted, hitting her shoulder.

"Sorry," Fang replied with a teasing grin as she ran her fingers slowly up and down her back in a gentle caress.

The gesture was so loving that Vanille could not help but smile, leaning into Fang's embrace. She pressed against her partner's chest, hugging her tightly. "Let's stay like this, okay?"

Fang nodded, kissing Vanille's forehead and closing her eyes.

Vanille snuggled against Fang, adoring her protective embrace, and whispered, "Goodnight, Fang."

"G'night," Fang mumbled sleepily, kissing her cheek. "Love you."

"I love you too." Vanille nuzzled her cheek against her shoulder before closing her eyes and allowing the world to fade.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

AN: Hello! Here is the next installment of Let Them Eat Cake. I'm so sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I know I usually update a lot more regularly. I underestimated how busy I would be this semester between a full time job and classes. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get the next chapter up. Anyway, I hope you like this one. Thanks to all of you who are reading and those of you who left me such nice comments! :)

Disclaimer: OCs and plot are mine. Everything else belongs to Square Enix.

* * *

Lightning awoke to the sound of the alarm blaring in her bedroom at four in the morning. With a growl, she tore the blankets off of herself and jumped out of bed. After almost five minutes of heated searching, the alarm finally stopped. Lightning wanted to continue looking, but she was exhausted after receiving only a few hours of sleep, so she crawled back into bed, hoping to get a few more hours of rest before her real alarm went off. Unfortunately, she was too agitated to relax and could not fall back asleep.

Annoyed, Lightning climbed out of bed for the second time that night and walked down the stairs. She paused at the bottom when she noticed the light was on and frowned as she realized that Hope was still awake. The teenager was alternating between playing a video game and typing on his laptop, and from the goofy grin on his face, he was clearly talking to the girl he liked.

Hope suddenly realized he was not alone and jumped. When he looked over his shoulder and saw that it was only Lightning, he sighed with relief. "I thought you were Serah."

Lightning pursed her lips as though to ask how Serah could be more frightening than herself.

"Whenever she comes down at four in the morning, it means something went wrong with her wedding planning," Hope offered with a sigh. "What are you doing up? Didn't you go to bed a few hours ago?"

"An alarm goes off in my room at four every morning," Lightning growled, clenching her fists. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

Hope furrowed his brows in confusion. "Can't you just turn off the alarm?"

"It isn't mine. Someone hid it in there. I can't find it before it stops beeping." Lightning plopped down on the couch, watching Hope play his game on the television.

"Wait, you mean someone is playing a prank on you?" Hope narrowed his eyes. "Fang was in your room the other morning. I caught her trying to sneak out. She must have thought no one else was home."

Lightning glared. "What was she doing in there?"

"I didn't see. She had the door closed," Hope explained. "She changed the subject when I asked why she was in there, so I'm sure she was up to no good."

"I'm going to kill her," Lightning snapped.

Hope gulped. "Shouldn't you wait until after the wedding?"

With a roll of her eyes, Lightning nodded, "I don't want to upset Serah, so don't say a word to anyone. I'll talk to Fang about this. I can stop her without Serah finding out."

With a nod, Hope turned back to his game. He felt a little nervous with his friend coming to stay if Fang was playing pranks again, but he trusted Lightning to find a way to make Fang stop. After all, Lightning was the most frightening person in the household, even if she was kind at heart.

* * *

Lightning wiped the sweat from her brow and increased the speed and traction on the treadmill, pushing herself harder though her heart was already pounding. She closed her eyes, regulating her breathing and adjusting herself so that she was running with the best possible posture. Once her body grew used to the speed, she relaxed completely, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of blood pumping through her veins. There was nothing quite like physical exertion to help relieve stress.

"Why are you running so fast?" Phil asked humorously as he climbed onto the treadmill beside her. "You're not racing anyone."

"I'm racing myself," Lightning replied, opening her eyes to glance at him.

"Wow. That's some tough competition, but at least you always win," Phil answered with a grin.

Lightning tried to hide a faint smile, grumbling, "What have you been doing?"

"Oh, you know, lounging by the pool drinking free lemonade," Phil joked as he set his treadmill to a low speed to warm up his legs. "Wanna race?"

"Can you keep up?" Lightning challenged.

"I'll try my best." He grinned eagerly. "Come on. We'll see who can stay at your speed the longest. It'll be fun."

"You have to match the traction too," Lightning answered, stifling a smirk as best she could. "We shouldn't bother racing. You'll be upset when you lose."

"_If_ I lose. Don't be so confident," Phil argued, matching her speed and quickly adjusting the traction. "Starting in fifteen seconds, whoever lasts the longest wins. The loser buys dinner."

"Fine." Lightning straightened and closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing.

"So, how are things at work?" Phil asked conversationally, running comfortably.

"Work is top secret," Lightning mumbled, criticizing, "Don't talk while we're running."

"Why? Are you afraid you'll lose?" Phil teased, laughing at her skeptical look. "You don't have to tell me about your missions to answer my question. Do you like it there? Did you make any friends? Do you plan to stop working overtime any time soon or were you expecting to work yourself to an early grave? These things are important to me."

Lightning scoffed. "We're understaffed. I'm working so much because there's no one else to do it."

"You seem pretty stressed," Phil pointed out. "You might want to consider taking a vacation."

"Work isn't stressful," Lightning argued, rolling her eyes. "Home is stressful."

"Uh oh. Trouble at the Farron Zoo?" Phil asked with a grin before sobering. "What's going on?"

"Serah is constantly panicking about the wedding, Snow is still stupid, and people keep destroying my house," Lightning growled. "I don't remember inviting all of them to live with me."

Phil laughed. "Come on. They're not _destroying _your house."

"Yes, they are. Dajh puked in the living room last week because he couldn't make it to the bathroom after he found raw cookie dough and decided to eat it. I had to get the carpet cleaned." Lightning rolled her eyes as she added, "And I don't _ever_ want to know how this happened, but the bed in the attic broke. I had to replace it."

"What do you mean 'it broke'?" Phil raised his brows.

"The frame split in three different places," Lightning muttered. "I decided one or both of them was jumping on the bed. Nothing will convince me otherwise."

Phil snickered. "Wow. Fang and Vanille must be really athletic."

Lightning chose to ignore his response. "The dogs are getting out of hand too. They're too big now. Ripper jumped on one of the kitchen chairs yesterday and it almost broke. I have to train them to stay off the furniture, but I'm not home enough to reinforce good behavior. They don't listen to anyone else but Fang and she's never home during the day."

"If you worked less, you'd be home more," Phil reminded her. "Working a day shift followed by a night shift isn't healthy, not to mention all the time you're putting into your little side project. Do you even sleep anymore?"

"I'll sleep when we have more footmen," Lightning grunted. "Besides, it's hard to sleep when Fang thinks it's funny to hide an alarm clock in my room that goes off every morning at four."

"Fang is playing pranks on you again?" Phil gasped. "Lightning, you have to fight back."

"I'm not stooping to her level," Lightning snapped.

"Is this because you lost last time?" Phil raised his brows. "Because I'm a great prankster."

Lightning merely scoffed.

"I'm really getting worried about you," Phil insisted. "You need to sleep."

"I'm fine," Lightning huffed. "I like working a lot if I can stay out of the house."

"Wow, so there must be _serious _trouble at the Farron Zoo." Phil frowned sympathetically. "What's stressing you out the most?"

"Serah and Vanille, and recently Fang," Lightning muttered. "Serah is acting crazy. One minute she's fine and the next minute she's panicking. I can't stand to be around her when she's so stressed. She always wants my help, but I'm busy. They all keep asking why I'm never home, and Vanille is pissed because she did so much of the planning. I wouldn't care, but when Vanille's upset, Fang is quick to follow."

"Fang's like your best friend, right?" Phil smiled sympathetically. "I wouldn't want my best friend pissed at me either."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "I don't care about that. I'll kill her if she keeps playing pranks."

Phil laughed. "Yeah, I've heard enough stories about Christmas to know that Fang's pranks are pretty intense. She's one hell of a woman, definitely someone you want on your side."

Lightning sighed.

"Why don't you just tell them the truth?" Phil inquired. "I know you can't tell Serah, but if you told Fang and Vanille, I bet they would understand."

"No. No one in that house can keep a secret." Lightning pursed her lips. "Serah is disappointed in me. She wants emotional support. Why would she ask me for that?"

"You're her sister," Phil answered with a wry chuckle. "I know you don't like talking about feelings, but you love Serah, don't you?"

"Of course," Lightning snapped. "When she was frozen in crystal, I did everything to save her."

"If you can fight monsters and fal'Cie and travel all over Cocoon and Pulse to save her, I think you can probably handle a few emotional conversations. I bet Serah's just nervous about the wedding and wants someone to talk to." Phil smiled, knowing what she would say as he asked, "Doesn't emotional support sound a lot easier than what you've been through?"

"I don't know," Lightning huffed.

Phil grinned. "Give it a try. Your sister will be grateful and everyone will leave you alone."

Before Lightning could reply, her PMC began to ring. She immediately plucked it out of her pocket, answering without ceasing her workout. "What?"

"We need to meet ASAP in the usual place," Orion replied before hanging up.

Lightning sighed and slowed the treadmill. "That was work. I have to go."

Phil glanced at the clock. "You're supposed to have the day off today."

"It's urgent," Lightning argued.

"Okay..." Phil slowed his treadmill to a stop. "Will I see you later?"

"I'll call you." Lightning climbed off of the treadmill and began to walk away.

Phil waved awkwardly after her, wishing that she would show affection in public, even just sometimes. She was definitely the most unique woman he had ever dated, and though he really liked her, he was wondering if she would ever really let him in.

"You owe me dinner by the way," Phil shouted after her.

Lightning gave no response other than a vague wave of her hand.

* * *

Lightning pulled into an alleyway and put the car in park, cutting the engine. She waited for two minutes, contemplating how stupid it was to meet there in broad daylight, before a sleek black car pulled in beside her. Once the car was stopped, Lightning threw open her door and got into the other car. She locked her car from inside.

"Long time no see," Orion joked ironically.

"Did we really have to meet here?" Lighting grumbled. "Why couldn't we meet at work?"

"This isn't about work. This is about the side job you asked me to do," Orion replied.

Lightning pursed her lips. "You have information?"

Orion nodded, sighing. "I've been tailing him for a while now, just like you asked me, but things got more complicated today."

"What happened?" Lightning asked with narrowed eyes.

"I was sitting in the car the usual distance from his house waiting for him to start his daily routine when I saw him walking down the driveway. I thought he was headed for the mailbox, but he came straight toward my car," Orion explained. "I took out a newspaper, but when he knocked on the window, he didn't ask me any questions. He just handed me this envelop and told me to give it to the woman who hired me to follow him."

Orion held out an envelop, which Lightning snatched from his hand.

Opening the letter immediately, Lightning removed the contents and flinched when a check fell into her lap. She picked up the check and studied it, and her eyes narrowed darkly.

"How much is it for?" Orion asked curiously.

"A lot," Lightning grunted, reaching for the note and beginning to read it.

The handwriting was neat and small. _Claire—or Lightning, if you like that better—I found out that one of my little girls is getting married soon. The father of the bride usually pays for the wedding, so here is my contribution. This isn't a bribe. I just want to help because it's the right thing to do. I'm planning on attending the ceremony. I want to see the two of you again. Give my best to Serah. Love, your father._

"Not a bribe, my ass," Lightning snapped, clenching her fists.

Orion looked at the check and his eyes widened. "That is a _lot_ of money. If you don't want this, I'll happily take it off your hands. I could pay off some bad loans."

"Give me that," Lightning growled, snatching it out of his hand. "I want his address _now_."

"I thought you might say that so I have it right here." Orion handed her a post-it note with the address written neatly on it. "Don't kill him until you know if he's actually your father."

"I might kill him anyways," Lightning growled. "He has no right to try to be a part of our lives after abandoning us. He can't just show up and say he's coming to the wedding and throw money at us like it's going to solve the problem. He can keep his money. I'm not telling Serah about this either. She can't handle the stress right now."

"You know, your sister might be able to use that money," Orion pointed out. "Think of all the savings she and her new husband would have."

"Serah doesn't need his money. If she needs help, I'm here," Lightning interrupted. "Do you have anything else for me?"

"Nope." Orion shook his head. "All I can tell you is he's going by the name Jack Smith. He doesn't have any records, not even on our computers."

"By tomorrow morning, I'll know who he really is and what he wants," Lightning growled.

"Promise to be careful, Lightning. We don't know anything about this man," Orion warned. "I thought he was just a regular guy, but he walked right up to my car without a care in the world like he'd known I was tailing him the whole time. How did he know you hired me?"

"I'll find out. He won't be able to hide anything from me," Lightning replied, insisting, "He's not really our father. Even if he was, that wouldn't change my opinion of him."

There was no chance for Orion to answer as Lightning stormed out of the car.

Rolling down the window, Orion called, "At least let me be your backup when you go see him For all you know, he could be some kind of big bad. Let's make an operation out of it."

"Maybe." Lightning slid into her own car. "I'll call. Otherwise, I'll see you at work Monday."

"See you." He rolled down the window and pulled out of the alleyway.

* * *

Fang awoke with a sleepy sigh and stretched his arms, turning toward the window. It was bright out, so she thought she must have slept in, but a quick glance at the clock proved her wrong. Still tired, Fang turned over and reached out, hugging the nearest warm body. When it was a little too squishy, Fang opened her eyes and frowned as she realized she was alone once again. There was no note, so Fang could only assume that Vanille was somewhere in the house.

"Kiwi, are you down there?" Fang asked loudly, turning onto her back. When there was no response, she cuddled into the pillow, grumbling, "Fine. Leave before I wake up _and_ take the dog. I'll cuddle by myself. I've got a pillow."

After a while, Fang realized she would not be able to fall back asleep, so she kicked the covers off and stood up. She did not bother to change out of her pajamas as she began down the stairs, determined to make good on her promise to find Vanille wherever she was and drag her back to bed.

When Fang reached the bottom of the stairs, the sound of hushed voices from the kitchen caused her to stall her footsteps. Curious, she leaned forwards and peeked around the corner, trying to listen.

"Serah, did you decide what to do yet?" Vanille asked quietly. "I know you're scared to tell Lightning, but you can't keep this a secret forever. She'll find out soon."

"I know, but I have to find the right time to tell her," Serah murmured nervously as she sat at the table. "Claire is going to be _so_ mad."

"You won't know until you tell her." Vanille placed her hand on her shoulder, exclaiming reassuringly. "I bet she won't be."

"You don't know her like I do," Serah argued, shivering. "It was hard enough telling Snow."

"But you thought Snow would be mad and he wasn't," Vanille reminded her, touching her hand. "Snow said it was okay and you would figure it out together."

"Claire won't react that way." Serah sighed miserably. "I know I have to tell her, but she _will_ be mad. This goes against everything she taught me growing up."

"No, I bet it'll be okay," Vanille insisted firmly. "Lightning loves you."

Serah smiled weakly. "Maybe that will save me."

Vanille offered a wry smile. "When do you think you'll tell her?"

"Maybe at the bridal shower," Serah replied with a faint chuckle. "Then she can't yell at me in front of everyone so she'll have to take some time to think about everything first. When the shower's over, she'll have cooled down."

"That's a great idea." Vanile smiled happily.

"I hope so." Serah looked glum. "Does it seem kind of cowardly to tell her then? Maybe I should tell her in the morning before the shower. What do you think?"

From outside the room, Fang decided she had listened long enough. She wanted to know what they were talking about, but she thought it was better to wait and ask Vanille about it later. Without making a sound, she backed toward the stairs and then headed back toward the second floor, planning to return to her room to use the bathroom and then come back down. Unfortunately, she found herself face-to-face with Lightning, who was as suspicious as ever.

"Where are you going?" Lightning growled.

"I was headed to the kitchen," Fang replied promptly.

"The kitchen is that way," Lightning replied, pointed behind Fang.

With a laugh, Fang explained, "Halfway there, I overheard Serah and Vanille having another wedding chat. It sounded pretty stressful so I thought I'd give them a minute and come back."

"Is Serah stressed _again_?" Lightning demanded angrily. "I can't wait until the wedding is over."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "She might not be as stressed if you would support her a bit."

Lightning scoffed. "Move. I have to get downstairs."

"Well, since you asked so nicely..." Fang stepped out of the way. "Where are you headed anyway? Don't tell me you have work again today. Don't you get any days off?"

"I work whenever they need me for now," Lightning mumbled vaguely.

Fang followed Lightning down the stairs, not wanting the tension between her and Vanille to escalate to levels they would regret.

When Lightning walked around the corner into the kitchen, Serah and Vanille instantly quieted, causing her to frown suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. It was just another wedding emergency," Serah replied with a forced smile.

"Oh." Lightning nodded and turned toward the fridge.

"Don't you want to offer to help?" Vanille asked angrily.

Lightning stiffened, turning to face her. "I'm busy today."

"You're busy every day!" Vanille nearly shouted.

Fang hastily crossed the room, wrapping her arm around Vanille's waist to settle her. "Light, I think you should consider working a bit less and pitching in some more. The wedding's coming up really soon."

Though she gritted her teeth, Lightning took one look at Serah's disappointed face and remembered Phil's advice. "Maybe I can help later. I shouldn't be working all day."

"Really?" Serah gasped hopefully. "Claire, that's wonderful. Thank you so much! What time will you be home? I really just want to spend some time with you."

Frowning uncomfortably, the older Farron sister shrugged and walked toward the fridge, looking for something quick. "I'm not sure, but I'll text you when I know my schedule."

Serah nodded eagerly, following her to the fridge. "Thank you, Claire. I was beginning to think you didn't want me to get married."

Lightning grumbled uncomfortably, "I just work a lot."

"Too much," Serah corrected, watching as Lightning began to take a piece of fruit from a basket in the fridge. Her eyes widened. "Wait! You can't eat that. Please, don't touch anything in the fridge during the next few days without asking me first. I was up at five in the morning baking and making snacks for the bridal shower."

"The bridal shower is in two days," Lightning grumbled. "What am I supposed to eat?"

"Well, all the treats, fruit, and sandwiches are for the bridal shower..." Serah bit her lip. "I can make you something."

"I don't have time," Lightning protested.

"Maybe you can have cereal?" Serah offered with a frown.

Lightning huffed, closing the fridge. "I'll just get something on the way."

"Are you really working again today?" Vanille asked with a frown. "Why can't you just take some time off to help us get the house all set up for tomorrow.

Lightning opened her mouth to reply, but before she had a chance, her PMC began ringing in her pocket. The ring tone was an obscene song about meeting women in the club and doing very inappropriate things to them.

Everyone stared at Lightning and Serah ventured, "U-Um, Claire?"

At the same time, Fang began laughing. "Got something you want to tell us, Light?"

"I'm going to kill you," Lightning told Fang fiercely before storming out of the room to answer her phone.

"Why does everyone always think it's me?" Fang asked nonchalantly.

"Fang, you're not playing pranks, are you?" Serah asked with a frown.

"I'm not," Fang promised, grinning faintly. "I guess Light's just questioning. It's no wonder. She _did_ always get uncomfortable if I was flirting."

"Fang!" Vanille pouted, hugging her arm. "You should only flirt with me."

Fang wrapped her arms around Vanille, grinning down at her. "Stop acting like you're worried."

Vanille offered the faintest grin before biting her lip. "We have a lot to do to get the house set up today. Do you think you could help?"

"Sure, as long as you tell me where the dogs are," Fang commented, peeking out the window. "Why are they always gone?"

"Snow took them for a walk with Hope and Dajh," Serah explained. "They left a while ago."

"Hope and Dajh were both up before me?" Fang asked with wide eyes, glancing at the clock.

"I guess they couldn't sleep." Serah shrugged.

Fang made a thoughtful noise before glancing down at Vanille. "So, what're my chores for the morning? I'm assuming I have to help decorate."

"We have to clean first," Vanille explained quickly. "Serah wants the whole downstairs spotless."

"It'll be the first time my co-workers see my house, so I want them to be impressed," Serah explained with a small smile.

"It's _my_ house," Lightning grumbled as she walked back into the kitchen. "Fang, I need to talk to you right now. Outside."

Fang raised her brow, smirking, "Ooh, suspenseful."

"I'm serious," Lightning growled.

"You know, I didn't touch your phone." Fang assured her.

"It's not about that," Lightning snapped, turning and stomping into the living room. "Hurry up."

With an apologetic shrug, Fang told Vanille, "I'll be right back."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Fang walked back into the kitchen. She was surprised to find Hope sitting at the table with Vanille and Serah. While the two women were talking about plans to clean the house, Hope was clearly trying to excuse himself to get out of chores, but Serah was not having it.

Serah looked up when Fang entered the room. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but Light needs my help with something work-related," Fang replied with an apologetic frown. "It won't take long, but I have to go with her."

"Oh." Serah looked a little deflated. "Do you think you'll have time to help later?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll try my best," Fang replied with a sigh. "It sounded really important or I wouldn't have agreed."

"Okay." Serah gave an understanding smile. "Thanks anyway."

"Fang, do you have time to get ready and eat some breakfast?" Vanille asked with a pout.

"Only if I eat quick," Fang replied with a smile. "Serah, is there anything we're allowed to eat?"

"I don't need any of the extra eggs," Serah offered as she stood and headed for the kitchen door. "I ate a while ago, so I'll start cleaning. Vanille, follow the sound of the vacuum when you're done."

"Okay." Vanille waved after her before turning to Hope. "Do you want some eggs?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "I guess I should try eating something."

"Are you nervous 'cause your girlfriend's coming tomorrow?" Fang teased as she plopped down at the table.

Vanille paused in taking the eggs out of the fridge to grin over her shoulder. "Hope, you have a girlfriend? I thought she was just your friend."

"She _is_ just my friend—for now." Hope narrowed his eyes at Fang. "So, no one can mess it up. I know she's here to meet with Serah, but I'm going to try to impress her."

"Everyone's trying to impress everyone these days," Fang mumbled, grinning. "Anyway, don't worry, Hope. I already swore I wouldn't play any pranks on you. I signed a contract, you know."

"That's right, Fang," Vanille warned, waving her spatula.

Fang laughed and stood from the table to join Vanille. She hugged her from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist, and murmured, "You know, I'm still a little sore over the fact that you didn't stay in bed this morning."

"I'm sorry." Vanille pouted. "Serah was having—"

"A wedding emergency?" Fang kissed her cheek. "I'm beginning to realize we're gonna have one of those every morning until the wedding, so here's my new rule. If you can't be there when I wake up, you better be there when I go to bed, got it?"

Vanille nodded, giggling as she struggled to crack the eggs over a bowl while Fang was holding her. "Are you gonna get ready before you go with Lightning?"

"I'll try. She gave me half an hour." Fang laughed, adding, "I don't think she'll drag me out of the shower though."

"Half an hour's long enough," Vanille commented, stirring the eggs.

"I can get ready in five minutes or less," Hope interrupted, not wanting them to forget him.

"Wow, that's impressive," Fang called over her shoulder before turning back to Vanille and lowering her voice. "By the way, you have to shower too, right? I figure since we're eating breakfast together, there's no reason we can't get ready together too."

"Fang!" Vanille grinned over her shoulder. "I'm not gonna shower until after I clean."

"Why not?" Fang asked playfully, sliding around so she was next to Vanille and lifting her chin so she would look at her. She leaned in to kiss her, teasing as she pulled back, "Don't you ever shower twice in one day?"

Vanille leaned in for another kiss, teasing, "Only when I'm feeling extra dirty."

"Do you two not know I'm still here?" Hope cried in protest, cheeks flushed.

"Sorry, Hope, I guess you don't need to see that." Fang pecked Vanille's lips one last time before pulling away. "I'll tell you what. To make it up to you, you and your friend can sneak off to wherever you want in the house and we won't tell anyone. Just don't fool around on the couch. We _all_ sit there."

Hope blushed even more darkly. "Fang, we're not going to fool around. We're not even dating."

"So?" Fang teased.

"They should take their time. It'll be more romantic," Vanille protested. "Besides, if Serah finds out, I think she'll be mad. I heard her say she thinks Hope is too young to have a girl that he likes stay over. That's why she wants Cassi to sleep upstairs."

"Really?" Hope frowned. "We're not gonna do anything. I have to be alone with her or I'll never be able to tell her that I like her."

"Hmm..." Fang smiled thoughtfully. "I'm sure we can distract Serah if you two wanna be alone."

"You'd do that for me?" Hope asked skeptically.

"Of course I would," Fang replied exasperatedly. "I dunno why you think I'm so bad."

"You made me wet myself at Christmas!" Hope replied. "That was _not_ funny."

"That was in the past. I'm the new, prank-free Fang," Fang replied with a grin.

Hope rolled his eyes, clearly not believing her. "Anyway, I don't want Serah to get mad. She'll probably let us be alone if we go for a walk or something."

Fang shrugged. "Lemme know if you change your mind, kiddo."

With a nod, Hope glanced out the window.

"Are those eggs almost ready?" Fang asked Vanille. "We better eat quick or Light will never let me shower."

"They're ready," Vanille replied triumphantly as she put together a plate.

* * *

"Are you ready to go yet?" Lightning asked as she poked her head into Fang's bedroom.

"Almost," Fang replied with a smirk, glancing down at herself. She was only dressed in a towel. "I can go like this if you want, but I can't promise the guy won't be distracted when we meet him."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "What took you so long?"

"I just took a shower, Light. I didn't realize I took too long," Fang replied with a shrug. "Now, unless you want me getting in your car naked, shut the door and let me get dressed."

"Hurry up," Lightning muttered before turning away. "I'll be downstairs."

As soon as the door was shut, Vanille walked out of the bathroom in a bathrobe, drying her hair with a towel. She glanced curiously at Fang. "Who was that?"

"Light wanted to know why I took so long," Fang grinned, wrapping her arm around Vanille's waist and tugging the shorter woman against her.

"You better go, Fang," Vanille giggled, cuddling against her. "If she comes back up here, she'll be mad at you."

"Let her be mad," Fang scoffed, leaning down to capture her lips. "It was worth it."

Vanille smiled warmly. "So, where are you going anyway?"

"Eh, we're going after someone. She was gonna interrogate the guy with her partner, but I guess he had something come up and there were no other agents who could help," Fang replied with a shrug.

"Well, good luck," Vanille replied with a shrug, leaning up to kiss her cheek before pulling away to get dressed.

With a nod, Fang dressed quickly before heading toward the door. "I'll see you later. Hopefully this won't take long."

Vanille waved after her, adding thoughtfully, "Be careful!"

* * *

When Fang reached the bottom of the stairs, Lightning gave a faint nod and walked out the front door. Fang understood that Lightning was feeling stressed, so she followed silently behind her, deciding not to comment on her rude behavior. They did not speak once as they climbed into the air car, but Fang could only resist for so long.

"So, Light, you want me to meet your father?" Fang teased, smirking. "We haven't even had a proper date yet."

Lightning rolled her eyes, grumbling, "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"I really can't." Fang laughed lightheartedly. "Sorry. I'm sure this is upsetting."

"He's not really our father," Lightning assured her uncomfortably as she hovered out of the driveway. "Our father died. Our mother told us."

"So, when did he claim to be your father again?" Fang asked with a frown. "You were pretty cryptic."

"I got a letter a while before Valentine's Day. When I ignored it, I got a few more," Lightning explained. "I had Orion check it out, since I knew it couldn't be our father. After watching him a while, Orion said he was a normal guy, but I asked him to keep trailing him. The other day he walked up to the car and handed him this."

Lightning tossed an envelop into Fang's lap.

"You've been having this guy tailed since February?" Fang raised her brows as she opened the letter, but her eyes widened when she saw the contents. "Now there's a _lot_ of money. Serah could have her dream wedding twice if she added this to what she and Snow probably already spent."

"Read the letter," Lightning grunted.

"So, he plans on attending the ceremony. Sounds suspicious," Fang commented, shrugging as she glanced at Lightning. "Why couldn't Orion come again? You said he was busy?"

Lightning shook his head. "I told him not to come. He intimidates people."

"I can be plenty intimidating," Fang argued with a pout.

"I can do that on my own," Lightning mumbled, changing lanes. "I want you to read his body language. You're can pick up the subtle things I miss because I'm so pissed about this."

"You got it." Fang feigned a salute. "Agent Yun reporting for duty. It's been a while."

Lightning nodded, warning, "We may be walking into a trap. There was no information about this guy. Everything was lost or buried."

"Wow, I can't believe even your high-tech top-secret people couldn't find anything," Fang whistled.

"I know," Lightning growled, running a red light.

"You know, Light, nothing makes me feel safer than driving with you when you're mad," Fang exclaimed with a grin, laughing when the agent glared at her.

Fang and Lightning were mostly silent for the rest of the trip as the scenery sped by. Lightning all but ignored the speed limit, but Fang refrained from saying anything because there was no one else on the road. She thought it might be better for Lightning to vent before she reached their destination, since she seemed angry enough to tear someone's head off.

"One more thing," Lightning said seriously as they turned onto the street where the alleged father lived. "Don't say anything to Serah until we know more. He might not be our father and he might be dangerous. Serah doesn't need extra stress right now."

"Usually I'd warn you not to keep something from your sister, but in this case, I agree." Fang furrowed her brows. "Do you think this might be more than just wedding stress? Serah's seemed kind of down for a while."

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno." Fang thought about what she had overheard that morning. "I just think it might be more than the wedding."

"Snow and Serah better not be having problems," Lightning grumbled, squeezing the steering wheel. "I'll kill him if he breaks her heart now."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Fang replied with a wry smile.

Lightning parked on the side of the road. "We're walking from here. I don't want him to see the car in case he decides to run."

Fang eased out of the car, glancing curiously around before she followed Lightning up the street. The agent was moving quickly, making it difficult to keep up with her, but Fang did not mind hanging back a few pages. It was easier for her to focus on their surroundings.

Lightning stopped in front of a relatively small, one-story house. The residence was rundown with chipping paint, a slightly ajar mailbox, and only a few sparse flowers that were dying in the otherwise weed-filled yard. The curtains were all drawn, making the house seem abandoned.

"If he lives in a dump like this, where'd he get all that money?" Fang inquired, frowning.

"Let's just get this over with," Lightning mumbled.

Fang followed Lightning up the path and watched as she rang the doorbell and stepped back, crossing her arms.

The curtains suddenly fluttered and then the lock clicked. The door opened and a man stepped into the shadows just briefly enough to reveal himself. He was tall with gray hair and blue eyes, and his features were slightly pointed with high cheekbones. His stature was intimidating and muscular, but he smiled brightly when he saw them.

"Come inside quickly." The stranger ushered them both into the house.

The residence was much nicer on the inside, but it was still quite rundown. There were not many pieces of furniture and the rooms seemed quite small. The kitchen was visible from the living room, and the bedroom door was wide open, revealing a meticulously organized but extremely tiny room. The curtains were drawn all over the house, casting the interior in complete darkness.

The man turned on a light and smiled at Lightning. "I'm glad to see you."

Lightning frowned, studying him carefully. She had been too young when her father died to remember him very well, but at first glance he certainly looked a lot like her.

"So, who are you?" The man asked Fang awkwardly when Lightning did not reply.

"I'm Yun Fang." Fang smiled charmingly. "I used to be Light's partner, but now we're just friends."

"Oh." He looked between the two of them, eyes widening. "I didn't know."

Lightning spared a moment to glare at Fang, because that had certainly not been a slip of the tongue. "She's talking about NORA. We were agents together."

"I see." He offered a tentative smile. "It's nice to meet you. These days I go by Jack Smith, but the name is Jack Farron."

Lightning had meant to have a calm discussion with him, but she suddenly lost it, snatching the envelop out of her pocket and throwing it at him. "What the hell is this? You can't just send someone this much money."

"You're right, I shouldn't have asked your friend to deliver this. I should have brought it in person," Jack conceded immediately, shaking his head. "Claire, I—"

"_Lightning_," she corrected heatedly.

"Okay, Lightning." He smiled weakly. "I know you probably hate me for abandoning you girls, but I sent this money because it's the right thing to do for Serah. If I had been there all your lives, I would be paying for this wedding. I know it's probably too late, but I want to be a part of your lives."

"Where'd you get that kind of money?" Fang asked calmly, eying his home.

"I'm not poor. I live in these conditions for other reasons," Jack replied, frowning faintly. "It would be better if I could discuss these things alone with my daughter."

"I don't leave my friends alone with strangers, but I keep secrets fine," Fang told him with a friendly smile, but her eyes were narrowed. "If you've got something private to say, my lips are sealed."

"My father is dead anyways," Lightning told him firmly. "I don't know who you are, but you're not him."

Jack sighed, rolling up his sleeve and holding out his arm toward her. "Take my blood and compare it to your own. That should be enough to show that I'm your father."

Lightning stared at him, jaw clenching.

"Take it, unless you're afraid to know the truth," Jack insisted. "I know you have the technology now, so \have it tested tonight. You'll have the results tomorrow and we can move on from there."

Lightning did not trust him, but she wanted conclusive proof that he was not her father, so she immediately pulled a small machine from her pack. The machine was meant for quick testing, so it would draw the appropriate amount of blood for a DNA test and store it until she could get it to the lab.

Fang watched, impressed. "We didn't get toys like that in NORA."

"Lightning is army again now," Jack exclaimed proudly. "My little girl, walking in her father's footsteps without even knowing it."

Lightning stiffened. "How do you know so much about me?"

"I've kept track of you over the years," Jack admitted quietly. "I just wanted to make sure that you girls were okay. I'm really proud of you, Lightning. You really rose to the challenge to take care of your sister when your mother passed away. I wished I could help you, but I would've put you in danger. Now I look at the woman you've become and I'm so happy for you. I wish I could have been there so that you could be more trusting now, but you've become so strong."

"I don't need to be more trusting," Lightning told him coldly as she extracted and stored his blood. "Once this proves you're not my father, I'm going to figure out who you really are."

Jack smiled sadly. "I know that giving Serah money for her wedding won't make up for all the years I've been gone, but I do want to be a part of your lives now. Serah is all grown up and I barely know her. I missed every milestone in her life so far. Please, just let me do this for her."

"Don't go near Serah, even if you are our father," Lightning nearly snarled. "Why would mom have told us you were dead unless she didn't trust you?"

"It was a plan that we came up with together," Jack explained, frowning in Fang's direction because he did not want her to hear. "I hoped to tell you and Serah at the same time."

"What plan?" Lightning demanded.

"The first thing you need to know is that I was a soldier before I became a covert agent like you are now. I was one of the best operatives in all of Cocoon," Jack explained with a sigh. "There were only a few people who had clearance to know about me, but I told your mother anyways and swore her to secrecy for her protection. On my last assignment before my 'death,' I went undercover with a very dangerous group. My cover was blown and the group began to stalk me, leaving threatening notes around and eventually inside the house. After a while, they were stalking your mother and you girls as well. They even kidnapped you once, Lightning, but I found you in time."

"I don't remember anything like that," Lightning growled.

"You were very young." Jack lowered his eyes. "I knew I had to put an end to it, but I was nowhere near having enough evidence or power to stop them. The organization had friends in the highest levels of government. Eventually, I had only one choice to protect my family. I had to fake my own death. Even my fellow agents thought I was dead. Your mother cried at the funeral, told you girls that I was gone, and that was the end of it. We agreed never to see each other again until it was safe, but it never was."

"So, why didn't you help us when she was gone?" Lightning demanded coldly.

"I wanted to, but I was still in danger. As long as the organization that I infiltrated thought I was dead, you two girls were safe. I _did_ help you financially. Who do you think paid for your mother's medical bills when she became sick? Where do you think the inheritance you received when she passed away came from? The only time we broke our agreement was when your mother first became sick. We met once to come up with a new plan and then she set up a bank account in your name, willed the money to the two of you, and accepted a check from me."

Lightning did not believe his story, but she went along with it. "What happened next? Where have you been all this time?"

"Hiding, living like a ghost, watching over the two f you." Jack swallowed hard. "I felt so guilty abandoning you girls. It was my worst nightmare when Serah became a l'Cie, but you and Snow were so dedicated to finding her that I knew she was in good hands. When it was all over and you saved her, I knew that you were the best daughter I could have hoped for and that Snow and Serah were meant to be together. Once Cocoon fell and we all came to the surface, I finally felt that it was safe enough for me to contact you again. Troth is in the middle of nowhere. There's no one here."

"There's no reason for me to believe you," Lightning told him coldly. "How did you hide all this time? Why did no one find out you were alive?"

"I changed my name, my appearance, everything about myself... I used to be a covert operative, so I was used to putting on a false identity. The only difference is that this time the false identity became the real identity, a disguise I could never remove until now." Jack took a step word her. "I know you're angry and that you don't trust me, but this _was_ for the best. The danger is finally gone. The people of Cocoon are finally in power again, and the ones who were after me lost everything when Cocoon fell. I can finally reconcile with you and Serah. That's the reason I sent you the first letter."

"Don't go anywhere near Serah," Lightning growled. "She's very stressed. She doesn't need this right now."

"I understand the way you feel, but Serah has the right to decide for herself whether or not she wants to see me." Jack sighed, lowering his eyes. "I want to see her before the wedding, and if she'll have me, I'm planning on attending the ceremony. Once the DNA results come back positive, I will see her."

"Serah doesn't even remember you," Lightning argued coldly. "We've been fine without you all our lives. We don't need you now." Without waiting for a response, Lightning turned to Fang. "We're leaving. Come on."

"I have the right to see Serah, Lightning," Jack warned as she turned away.

"I have the right to shoot you if I see you on my property," Lightning sneered before storming out the door.

Fang offered one last glance at Jack, her expression unreadable, before she followed Lightning out the door. As she caught up to her at the end of the driveway, she mumbled, "You know, shooting him is kind of extreme, Light."

"I don't care." Lightning clenched her fists and picked up her pace. "I'm going to find the lost information on him. I won't let him get near Serah until I know who he really is."

Fang followed quietly behind her, not speaking again until she slipped into the air car. "Are you gonna try to get those blood results before tomorrow? You told Serah you'd spend time with her tonight."

"This is more important." Lightning pursed her lips. "If she knew what was going on, she'd agree."

"Yeah, but you're not gonna tell her," Fang reminded her with a frown. "So be ready for her reaction."

Lightning's shoulders stiffened and she nodded.

* * *

"Fang, this is a scary surprise," Vanille whined as she climbed out the window and stood unsteadily on the slanted roof.

"It'll be okay. Climb up this way. The roof is flat over here," Fang replied gently as she extended her hand.

Vanille entwined their fingers and felt a little safer once Fang had a hold of her. "Why are we up here? Why can't we just cuddle in bed?"

"Because this is gonna be better," Fang replied with a teasing grin. "You'll see."

With a nod, Vanille glanced over her shoulder and looked down. It was a long way to the ground from the roof, and although she had never been afraid of heights, she knew it would be terrible for either of them to fall.

"Come on." Fang tugged on her hand, pulling her gently away from the edge and up onto the flatter part of the roof.

Vanille released a sigh of relief. "What now?"

"Now we lie down," Fang explained, grinning as she plopped down onto the roof and tugged Vanille with her. Once they were both seated, she lay back and opened her arms.

"Lie down on the roof?" Vanille gave her a skeptical look.

"Come on. Don't you trust me?" Fang teased, smirking.

With a faint smile, Vanille twisted onto her side and crawled into Fang's arms, wrapping one arm around her waist and cuddling against her. The roof was fairly uncomfortable beneath her, so she tried to lay as much on Fang as possible.

"Okay, now look up," Fang instructed.

Vanille looked to the sky and gasped in surprise. There were no other houses around and all the lights were off in the Farron residence, so the world around them was pitch black, making the sky light up with more stars than Vanille could count. The tiny lights in the sky were like a thousand candles that made her heart beat more quickly as she simultaneously remembered Oerba and the first night that she and Fang had spent camping together out in the woods.

Observing the little grin that crept onto Vanille's face, Fang smiled warmly and kissed her cheek. "I thought you'd like it up here."

"It's really beautiful," Vanille agreed happily, snuggling against Fang's chest.

Fang nodded, running her fingers up and down Vanille's back as she held her close. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cool breeze. It was a perfect night without a cloud in the starry sky, just the kind of night that she wanted to spend tangled up with the woman that she loved.

* * *

Lightning woke up again at four in the morning and jumped out of bed, furious that she still could not find the stupid alarm. When she took a step forwards, she slipped and barely caught herself on the dresser, but the floor was so slippery that she could not stand up. Instead, there was no choice but to release from the dresser. Face-planting on the ground, Lightning landed in a pile of something light and sticky. As she opened her eyes, she realized that it was a pool of whipped cream spread across a tarp to protect the floor.

Irritated, Lightning stood up and kicked the tarp out of the way, not caring that she spilled some of the whipped cream onto the floor. She immediately marched to the door and threw it open, hoping to clean up in the bathroom before confronting the prankster. It was only the faintest creaking sound and her reflexes that saved her from the next trap.

Lightning backed away and looked up at the door. Someone had fastened a bucket from the ceiling, hoping that she would open the door so quickly that the contents would spill all over her.

With a growl, Lightning stepped forwards and tipped the bucket just enough to see what was inside. To her surprise, it was empty, but tugging on the bucket rigged another trap. Several water balloons immediately spilled down on her. Lightning was quick enough to move out of the way of all but one, which splattered all over her head.

Soaked and in a fit of rage, Lightning was about to storm up the stairs and kill Fang where she slept when her cell phone suddenly beeped, indicating a text message.

Lightning almost ignored it, but then she thought it might be Orion or Phil. With a sigh, she trudged back across the room, weary of any other traps, and picked up her phone. Her eyes widened with surprise as she read the message, which was sent from a number programmed into her phone only as: :(

_The pranks will stop when you start being nicer to Serah and Vanille and helping them. Serah was crying yesterday because you promised to spend time with her and didn't!_

Lightning felt a sting of guilt, but the anger she felt over the pranks played on her that morning overcame that emotion as she growled, "Clever, Fang, but you won't win this time."


End file.

Final Fantasy XIII, Drama, Humor